


Time Did Reverse

by AchillesLament (11Mydesign11), Destinyawakened, Identically_Different



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: #ItsStillBeautiful, Forgiveness, Hannigram - Freeform, M/M, Murder Husbands, Post Season 3, Second Chances, Smut, it's still beautiful, pseudo time travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-19
Updated: 2017-10-30
Packaged: 2018-12-17 10:18:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11849514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/11Mydesign11/pseuds/AchillesLament, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Destinyawakened/pseuds/Destinyawakened, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Identically_Different/pseuds/Identically_Different
Summary: Will Graham is given a rare second chance to go back and do a certain part of his life over again. Forgiveness is akin to love.





	1. Chapter 1

As Will wrapped his arm around Hannibal’s shoulders, tilting their bodies to the very edge of the eroding cliff, Hannibal leaned in, shapely lips against the shell of his ear, a whisper, almost thoughtless at the time. “It’s time,” the doctor spoke, unveiled and yet enigmatic all the same as their bodies slipped off the cliff, falling fast against the wintery cool wind currents. Bits and specs of salty water hit Will’s face first, eyes closed, ready for impact.

Impact never came, and in an instant, Will jolted awake, panting, breathing hard, the sound of monitors around him going off, alerting him to a surreality that was reality. Trying to rip the wires off him, the IV out of his arm, Will attempted to get to his feet, only to find he wasn’t able, his legs not having been used in a long, long time.

“Mister Graham?” A nurse ran in, brown eyes wide as she saw him trying to crawl across the floor, and she went to help him up, calling for back up. “Please, you need to be in bed, sir.”

“W-where am I?” he stammered out as a doctor entered, and helped the nurse get Will back onto the bed, where he refused to lie back down.

“The hospital,” the nurse said, calmly. “You’ve been in a coma for a few months.”

“Months?” he swallowed, thickly, looking down at his hands, no wedding band, no tan line from a wedding band. No Molly. No Walter.

“Mister Graham, please, lie back, we need to look you over, you were severally wounded…”

Absently, Will’s hands drifted over his midsection, a familiar wound, one that had faded, was raw and pink, covered in gauze still, and angry from the feel of it. Confusion set in, on memories of a life he lived for three years, of memories he couldn’t possibly have dreamed and remembered this vividly. Overactive imagination, sure, but this…

anyway had been real. It had to have been.

Wincing, Will let the doctor lie him back, slowly. His eyes were checked, a light shone into them, clear blue in color as he stared anywhere but the bright. His heartbeat was steadying out, no longer shrilling on the monitor next to him, and yet it felt like his chest was tight, anxiety starting to take over as he realized his place in time, grounding himself despite what he had known to be real.

“You were very lucky, Mister Graham. Hannibal Lecter knew how you cut you so you wouldn’t die. Almost like a … second chance,” the doctor said, undoing the dressing to check the healing of the wound, the stitches were out, thankfully, but it still looked raw and itched like crazy.

“Second… chance?” Will’s gaze moved slowly across the ceiling to the doctor, his jaw set, mind in a whirl. The Great Red Dragon hadn’t been just a dream, or a nightmare, he’d been very real, and every stab wound, and every ache from being thrown had been present when they went over that cliff…

“Yeah. He didn’t want you dead. You get to live, some people aren’t as lucky.”

Scoffing, Will watched the doctor, blue eyes darkening. “Lucky.”

The doctor ignored the indigent tone of Will’s voice and went about putting new gauze around his belly, helping Will to sit as he did. “You’ve had visitors.”

“Let me guess: Frederick Chilton?” Will’s jaw tightened a little, less than surprised, as he had done this all once before.

“Doctor Chilton was very worried about your condition, Mister Graham.”

“I’m… sure he was,” Will retorted bitterly. Everyone believed Will too late, and everyone underestimated him… too late.

If this was a second chance, Will had to get to Hannibal before everyone else. Maybe it would all be different this time around, maybe he could finally set things straight.

“...So, you see, the FBI are after her, too.”

Will blinked his eyes at the doctor, coming back to the reality at hand. “I’m… sorry, who?”

“Bedelia Du Maurier.”

Time seemed to slow at the mention of her name, and Will paled, swallowing down the thickness that enveloped his throat suddenly, dry and precarious. He’d nearly forgotten, his mind working to see only in the now, not in the future he had dreamed, or the future he had come from. Or… whatever it might have been. He still stewed over that bit of information.

“Well, I’m sure they’re very happy together,” but as the words left his mouth, he remembered the way Bedelia tried to make it seem like Hannibal had forced her hand, and Will knew better than anyone, that Hannibal only took willing participants.

Really, he hated Bedelia with the utmost passion, to the point that being ‘friends’ had almost seemed like their way of merely taking jabs at each other. But oh, the look on her face when he all but told her that he was going to let Hannibal free.

Fear was a good look on the meticulously dressed, blonde doctor, and after everything he’d done, dream or not, Will would make her wish she’d never gone with Hannibal Lecter. She used him for a book, and fame, and Will found that rude.

“Not if the FBI has their way,” the nurse chimed in, almost sympathetic to Will, but he didn’t need it, he knew a long time ago what he was getting into with Hannibal, he’d just underestimated him by a few steps.

With the knowledge, he had now, Will was sure that a different future could or, and perhaps one that didn’t involve cliff diving.

***

Instead of wallowing in his guilt and despair, Will made different plans. He let the boat idea go, no longer needing the time to escape into his mind, to figure a Hannibal out. He no longer needed to go to Lithuania, or meet Chiyoh, or let Mischa's murderer go to free her. Will already knew what he needed, he already fully understood Hannibal and all his intentions. Or, at least enough to face his choices once more. He found a sitter for the dogs, as Alana was still healing, and sold his boat to purchase a one-way ticket to Italy.

Will had no idea if Hannibal was still there, or there at all, yet, but he knew that was where he had been when he found him, albeit nine months into the future. Will would be waiting. Until then, he set himself up in Italy with a loft and job in a library.

***

Paris had been lovely, but all things must come to an end, especially when Hannibal realized he wanted to become the new curator of the Capponi library in Italy. The only thing stopping him was Doctor Roman Fell.

With Bedelia left at their flat, Hannibal sped through the dark streets on his motorcycle, dressed out of character in black leather. He arrived at the soiree and walked in, sipping champagne as he observed the Doctor from afar. It was then that he felt eyes on him and he turned to see a man who bore resemblance to his long lost Will Graham.

The man walked over and introduced himself as Anthony Dimmond and once Hannibal gave his alias the two became engrossed in conversation. It was amusing and provided the perfect cover for him to watch Roman through his periphery.

After the party, the cannibal went to Roman's home, surprising him upon arrival and soon enough he was absorbing the man completely. Misses Fell, Lydia, made a great finish to the meal.

Hannibal arrived home shortly after that and washed up, finding Bedelia with a glass of wine by the fire. He strode over and kissed her cheek, announcing that they needed to begin packing for Florence. She quirked a brow, a smirk playing over her lips as she nodded slowly.

"What have you done, Hannibal?"

"I've created a vacancy that will serve my interests," he stated, knowing that she knew exactly what that entailed.

The trip went smoothly and no one batted an eye, Doctor Lecter felt radiant. Things were going according to plan but he found himself thinking back to Baltimore. He knew through some discreet research that Will had made through surgery and he could only hope to see him again one day. All things in good time.

***

A beautiful waltz completed and all eyes were on Doctor and Misses Roman Fell, yet another name change after their time in Paris. It came as no surprise to Hannibal, of course, dressed to the nines in his brown tuxedo. The spectacle after that, where he'd shown up Professor Sogliato was the cherry on the proverbial Sunday but now it was time to go home.

 

After her dip in the tub, Hannibal enjoyed a nightcap with his wife, Bedelia, or Lydia as she was known in stunning Florence. They discussed their feelings, and plans, though always with the tone that a therapist might have instead of lovers.

 

It went on this way for a few weeks, parties, conversations laced with danger. Only once had they made love, if it could be called that, but Hannibal hoped it would continue to solidify their union for their time together; eventually, the oysters, acorns, and marsala would prove sufficient, completing the marination.

 

A few days later, Hannibal finished making dinner, the table was set and as he awaited Anthony Dimmond's arrival. He'd seen him earlier that day out on the steps and where some might have felt threatened by the knowledge that Anthony would soon be made aware of what had befallen Roman, Hannibal had invited him to dinner. Musing his plans, the good doctor put a few finishing touches on the presentation as Bedelia finished getting ready in their bedroom. It was safe to say when the doorbell chimed, the cannibal was a bit surprised, though early was preferable to tardiness. Setting down the cloth napkin, he went to the door to open it, planning to say as much.

"Better early than--"

Standing in place of what should have been the scarf wearing poet was Will, an almost amused look in his eyes that was otherwise deadly. “Dimmond regrets to inform you that he won’t be making it for dinner. I’ve come in his stead.” Will looked past Hannibal into his abode, and then met Hannibal’s eyes as though nothing had ever happened. “Are you going to be rude and not invite me, Doctor Fell?”

Hannibal's expression of shock only lasted briefly and then fell into a smile, his eyes narrowed but pleased. It was as if he'd seen the face of God, looking at Will, though he was quite curious about how he'd been found and why now? "It is quite alright, I'd much prefer you at my table, Will," he said, smoothly, stepping back to let his old friend pass. "Please come-in, Misses Fell is just in the room getting ready."

“Misses Fell,” Will repeated back with some disdain as he stepped through, in a nice peacoat, looking ever dashing, his hands deep in his pockets. “I was so hoping we’d have a private dinner.”

"We still can," Hannibal said, looking at Will like he might disappear. "Have a seat at the table while I have a word with her."

Will watched Hannibal go, and then looked around the space of the living room, and then into the dining room, everything different from Hannibal’s home in the States, but still very much elegant. Will didn’t take a seat, but he did take off his jacket and set it on the back of one of the chairs, clad in form fitting trousers and a blue shirt.

A few minutes later Hannibal returned, a smile on his face. "It will now just be the two of us for dinner, Will."

“How kind of her give us privacy.” Will said, turning to look at Hannibal upon his return, his eyes still looking at Hannibal with a renewed sense of understanding. What had been three years for Will, had been nothing to Hannibal yet.

"A dutiful wife, if one could call her that," Hannibal grinned, and looked at Will, then to the chair. His curiosity was running rampant, this had not at all been anticipated, it would seem as though Will had surprised him yet again. "Do you not intend on staying for supper? You've traveled all this way for a reason, I'd presume. Perhaps I can offer you wine, if nothing else?"

“I was waiting for you,” Will insisted, taking up what would have been Bedelia’s seat, across from Hannibal, a mutual spot, one that put them on the same level. “Wine would be great.”

Hannibal nodded, once, and poured them each a glass of red, the food already set out for them both, plus one more that wouldn't be eaten now. After taking a slow sip, he held his silverware, looking at Will expectantly, though not rudely. "If I saw you every day, forever Will, I would remember this time. The day you came to my home to surprise me for dinner," he chuckled quietly, licking the residual wine from his lips. "Tell me then, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

“You wanted me to find you and I have,” Will answered, stealing a sip of wine from his glass as he watched Hannibal carefully. “You’ve always left me clues as to where you’d be.”

"Yes," Hannibal said in agreement, his eyes not leaving Will's. He detected a certain shift in the empath, he did not seem like the same man he'd gutted in the kitchen. "And now that you've followed the yellow brick road, Will, I must ask, is this how you envisioned it? Have you in fact forgiven me then or is it the reckoning you once promised that you're after?"

In Will’s mind, he’d had his reckoning once already, even if technically now Hannibal never suffered for it, at least Will got to see it and live through it. Was it the best possible life for either of them? No. "I could, but I don’t need it any longer. I’ve come to be with you, to run away as we had talked.”

Hannibal set down his silverware at that, letting what Will just said sink into his mind. Could it be that his friend had come to give him exactly everything he'd ever wanted? "I do not wish to seem ungrateful but one has to wonder what has come to pass to make you change your mind so radically."

“I could tell you, but you might find it all too fantastical,” Will explained and took a bite of the meal meant for Bedelia and the poor son of a bitch Will had left cuffed to a parking meter.

The doctor raised a curious brow at that and then cut into his meal, taking a bite himself. "Very well, later then. The important thing is you've come," he said, once he swallowed his bite and wiped his mouth. "Do you wish to stay in Florence? I will have to dispose of my spouse, which I had intended on doing anyway."

“It’s not safe to stay here. Alana, Mason, Jack… they all know where you are, they’ve been counting on my to lead them to you, but I fled before they could ask and take advantage of me,” Will explained, taking another sip of wine. “Bedelia… either eat her now or she will cause trouble later.”

"You speak as if you've glimpsed into the future," Hannibal said, joking of course as he finished another bite. "We'll kill her now, she is out, just in the other room. Will you partake of her with me then?" The question was one with more than just a singular meaning, he needed to know if the lamb had truly become a lion. "We can go anywhere you wish."

Will licked his bottom lip, a spilled drop of wine there. “You butcher her, I’ll help cook and eat,” Will promised, aware of the turn he was making, but sacrifices were to be made, after all, Hannibal had managed to push him back in time, he had to make the best of it.

Hannibal nodded, watching the sweep of Will's tongue. He contemplated just what he'd meant by 'I've come to be with you' meant exactly but another conversation for another time. "And when did you want to leave?"

“They’re gaining on you,” Will said, “we’ll want to consider it soon.”

"We'll leave tonight, then. I'll tend to Bedelia and take a momento for consumption later," Hannibal decided, looking at Will to gauge his reaction. He took another bite of his food and chased it with wine. The position at the museum, Dimmond, Solgiato, none of that mattered now. He had William at his side and couldn't be happier. "We should go someplace they would never think to look. I have a few safe houses set up and scattered. Cuba, Thailand, Poland and Chile."

“The least Hannibal Lecter-esque, the better,” Will insisted, setting his fork down. Will knew he was leaving everything, even his dogs, to do this, to be with Hannibal, to have the very thing he’d been denying himself for years.

"We'll need new names, likewise you too shall need to be less Will Graham. We should swap looks possibly, hm? I do believe that Chile or Cuba would be out best in going with this theme of ours," Hannibal mused, taking the last bite of his food and then setting his utensil down to finish off his wine.

“What theme is that?” Will asked, taking another sip, not that hungry, in all honesty.

"Rebirth or maybe simply a second chance," Hannibal answered, moving his plate out of the way. He held his wine glass up in offering, a cool grin spreading over his fine features. "The teacup has gathered itself back up again."

The choice of words felt haunting, but Will raised his glass to it, expectantly. “For now,” he said, aware they had a long ways to go, that even though he was accepting Hannibal, there was also much they hadn’t worked through.

Hannibal raised his glass as well, a little twinkle in his eyes as he did. "For now, yes," he toasted, ready for what was to come. He was just grateful for this chance and while the good doctor had many questions and speculations, he knew all would be revealed with him. "May we wind down and around the unexpected path together, with our eyes open."

“Wide open,” Will agreed, and sipped his wine and then set the glass down. “I’m ready and willing when you are.” They could leave Bedelia for all he cared, her insights would never lead her to them, but her being out of the way combined with Will’s personal qualms with her did play a heavy part in wanting to officiate her death.

Hannibal took a drink of his wine and then stood. "Let's get to it then," he said, and then looked at Will in question, thinking about how he might portion out the meat he'd been marinating for a while now. Bedelia needed to be eaten, in his mind at least. "Observation or Participation?"

“Depends on how you mean to do it,” Will answered, honestly. He knew Bedelia deserved it, he liked to watch her writhe and suffer with the thought, and likely she thought she was going to get away with it. No, he knew she thought so. “She’s been drugging herself, you know, to counteract the marinade you’ve been feeding her.”

"And you know this how, Will?" Hannibal asked, not bothering with the first question yet as this one seemed far more important. He walked over to the counter and grabbed a large knife that had Bedelia's name written all over it. It also served as sort of an answer to the former inquiry from Will as to just how he might participate should he choose to do so.

“I told you, it’s a bit fantastical. I’d rather explain when we were away from here,” Will explained, grabbing another knife from the counter. “Her meat will be bitter.”

So the two events correlated, Hannibal mused, watching as Will moved about. Beautiful. "I suspect it will, perhaps we will dispose of the meat instead," he smiled and walked towards the bedroom where she was resting unconscious. "This way, please."

Will followed, though it was a disappointment not to eat Bedelia, he didn’t want to waste the time bothering either. Knife in hand, Will touched the small of Hannibal’s back with a knowing look as they approached the bedroom.

The feel of Will touching him, reaching out in that way without Hannibal having to be the one to initiate sent a sprig of zest, desire through the doctor's body, but he kept his composure. He smiled over at him instead, his heart rate picking up in tempo at the notion of what they were about to do and together. He pushed open the door gently, pleased to see she was still indeed out. "Would you like the honors of going first?"

Will stepped forward, his hand slipping from Hannibal’s back. He stood over Bedelia’s drugged, sleeping form, and gauged her heart, and with one swift, smooth motion, stabbed her right through, breaking down into the breastplate, and piercing the muscle. He twisted the blade as he body convulsed, blood spilling around her like a thick, crimson blanket.

She was dying as Hannibal watched but in the spirit of the kill, he walked over, his heart swelling with love and drug the serrated edge of the blade across her throat, slow and calculated. Blood sprayed like a fountain though not as much as it might normally have done due to the loss already. "This is all I've ever wanted, Will," he murmured, a confirmation of his feelings if nothing more. "For both of us."

Gaze turning to Hannibal, blood splattered across his face, teeth gritted, Will looked at Hannibal as if caught in a moment of time that had yet to happen. “It’s… it’s beautiful,” Will whispered, reaching out to touch Hannibal, to make sure they weren’t still falling, that freezing cold wind was not rushing up to meet them fast.

Hannibal stared at Will awestruck as he drank in the man before him. He reached out, in turn, cupping Will's face as his eyes followed the trail of blood down to his lips and back up again. A peculiar chain of events lead them here and while he still wasn't entirely sure why or how, he pleased, beyond that even--elated. "Yes," he whispered, his breath coming out a bit ragged from the adrenaline of both the kill and what was coming after. "And so are you..."

A few beats passed, then a few more. Will stared, caught up in Hannibal’s gaze, and then moved away. “We… should go. You won’t be able to get past security at the airport.”

The warmth left as quickly as it had arrived but Hannibal was nonetheless euphoric. They had time now, time for many things to sort and slot together in a world of their own making. He nodded and licked his lips. "Yes, quite right. Let's clean up and then be on our way."

Will nodded, a soft smile on his lips for a brief moment. “I’ll need to borrow a shirt at least.” His blue one was covered in blood, the rest on his skin. He undid his shirt and wiped the blood off with the shirt and tossed it down over Bedelia’s body.

With a smile in return, Hannibal did the same, removing his suit coat and then the white shirt he'd had on under that, along with his tie. He let his eyes rove over Will's body just a moment before walking over to the closet to pull out two clean shirts for them both. For himself, he donned the leather attire, the most unlike himself garment he had. "Here, this will not fit quite right but it shall have to do."

Will shrugged the shirt on, leaving it undone for the moment, his belly scar shifting as he went to wipe blood from his face in the bathroom. It was still strange not to look in the mirror and see the scar on his forehead, no scar on the side of his face from Mason, just the one over his stomach, which had complications enough. “It’ll do.”

Hannibal joined Will in the bathroom, since the door was open and cleaned up at the adjoining sink, eyeing the scar briefly as he straightened out his jacket. He combed his hair a different way than normal, knowing he might have to grow it out and likewise a beard. "A shave might serve to disguise you a bit more, don't you think?"

Nodding, Will left the shirt undone even still and looked around the sink for a razor. He found it, and then as a show of faith, offered it to Hannibal. “Would you?”

"Certainly," Hannibal smiled, taking the old fashioned straight razor in hand. He gathered the shaving cream next, setting down the blade long enough to apply it gingerly to Will's bearded face. He was methodical in his task but couldn't help licking his own lips as he glanced at the ones near his hands.

“Thanks,” Will managed, wanting to spill all his secrets to Hannibal, and yet all at once, he didn’t. What if the future they had once was one that would make Hannibal run? What if it was the wrong choice?

Hannibal looked into the vast oceans of Will's eyes, wondering what was hidden in the depths of the endless sea-blue there but didn't ask. Not yet. He nodded and then wiped the cream from his hands, taking the handle of the razor into his deft grasp as the other rested atop the thicket of soft curls to position his head. He began with a slow, careful pass up against the grain of the coarse hair on his face. "Now we find out what you've been hiding..."

“Nothing more than usual,” Will whispered, feeling that magnetic draw he had on the cliff that night, before he tossed them over the edge, before Hannibal warned him of the impending drop and fall…

A debonair grin spread over the doctor's lips as he wiped the blade and continued with a lick of his lips. "No?" he murmured, his tone gritty and yet still smooth. He felt the pull, wanting to press in and kiss Will more now than ever, but he inevitably restrained himself. "I suppose I will have to wait and see what hatches then, won't I, William?"

“I feel if I reveal too much too soon, you won’t believe me,” Will said, staying perfectly still. “Then where would we be?”

"Together," Hannibal stated simply, meeting Will's eyes when he did. He grinned just faintly and resumed, doing the other side once the razor was clean again.

“Even if you thought I was lying? Or delusional?” Will said, quietly, watching Hannibal’s face as he left his life in his hands, unarmed and the cannibal with a knife in his hands.

"Yes," Hannibal answered honestly, then he neared Will's mouth with the sharp blade preparing to get the mustache there. "You're actions and words thus far are ripe with confidence, Will. You seem very clear on your intentions with this decision to seek me out, despite not giving me all the details just yet."

“I know what I want. I’ve been giving another chance,” Will whispered and closed his mouth to let Hannibal finish his fine work.

Hannibal processed that, questions and desire burning in his gaze as his lips twitched at the corners in response. He carefully moved forward, leaning in closer to get over Will's lip. Once he was done, he took a warm towel and removed the excess hair and cream revealing smooth skin, which only added to the mounting need that swirled in his gut. "There," he whispered, letting his fingers trailed over the curve of the hairless jaw before him. "Perfect."

“Better?” Will asked, slipping down off the counter, between it and Hannibal, their bodies needlessly close.

"Both ways were good but I admit I do prefer getting to see you this way," Hannibal answered and pressed in a bit, never having been this close to Will before. He could feel his breath skating over his lips.

Will bit his own lip as his eyes drifted down Hannibal’s face, eyes to lips, and back up again. “And how is that, exactly?”

Hannibal skimmed his fingers along Will's jaw, feather-light and down to his shoulder, resting there. "Without the blanket of disguise," he said, tone deep and gravely. "This is perhaps one of the clearest moments in our friendship. It can only strengthen from here, Will."

“So it will,” the empath said, just staring at Hannibal for a good long moment before he gently slid out from being trapped by his hips and counter. “We should get going as soon as possible. A head start would do us good.”

"Yes, let's do that," Hannibal agreed, recomposing himself. He went into the bedroom then and packed two bags of essentials, grabbing the two identities he'd procured for them before the incident in the kitchen. The doctor walked over and handed the passport to Will. "This is who you are now, I hope you do not mind the name."

Will raised a brow, surprised Hannibal had kept it. “Something as far from me real name as possible… I can’t be too upset.”

"Precisely," Hannibal agreed, and then placed his into his bag, taking both in hand. He'd kept them in case but also for sentimental value. "Shall we then?"

Michael was hardly a terrible alias, and it fit Will’s looks, or so he tried to reason. Will nodded, he had no baggage of his own, having only bought what he needed when he arrived months ago. “Yes.”

Hannibal, or Gabriel as he would soon be known, walked towards the door, not even taking one last glance at the life he was leaving behind. Will was his life, had been for quite some time but now things had changed, the coin flipping around and landing face up. "We will go by way of a private plane to Chile, there is a car I have stored there that to drive to the cottage I own."

“Private plane?” Will asked, getting his coat from the dining room and putting it on, along with his gloves.

"Yes," Hannibal nodded, smoothing down his leather jacket over the matching pants. "It's all arranged, and has been for quite some time."

“Did you think I’d come?” Will asked, more than aware when their meeting happened the first time around he’d been hasty with trying to possibly kill Hannibal, and everything went awry. “No… hard feelings? No want to… eat me?”

"I was uncertain if you would and had planned to fashion Mister Dimmond into a sort of token," Hannibal explained, pausing at the door as they conversed. "You think that in order to truly forgive you, I must eat you? A plausible scenario but no, I do not wish to eat you. Not when you've surrendered so exquisitely to our fates."

Will nodded slowly as he exited with Hannibal; he’d explain his reasonings later for the notion. He waited down the step for Hannibal, hand out to help with some of his luggage. “I have,” he said, and then a beat, “You’re not even a little upset about Bedelia?”

Hannibal handed one bag over and shook his head, mulling over the question a second longer before wetting his lips to speak. "No. I am not bothered by her death, however, I do wish we could have dined on her together,” he answered, walking towards the car. “Alas, the meat was tainted.”

“Do you trust I wasn’t lying about that?” Will said in a hushed tone, brow quirked toward Hannibal. Will opened one door and set the luggage in before getting into the passenger side.

"The way in which you plunged your blade through her heart speaks volumes to me about your feelings on her," Hannibal answered, once he'd put his luggage inside and got into the driver's side. He started the car and looked over at Will. "You would have enjoyed savoring her as well and thus I have no doubt of your sincerity."

Will nodded, leaning into his the door with his elbow, chin in upturned hand. “She deserved nothing less.”

"Agreed," Hannibal said, turning backing out and heading down the dark streets. "And Mister Dimmond? You said you spoke with him?"

“He’s alive. Left him at his flat,” Will said, “he’s done nothing to deserve death just yet.”

"You left him with just a wound to his ego then?" Hannibal asked, wondering exactly what had gone down between the men and how Will had found him to begin with, he also didn't miss the 'yet' at the end there.

“Yes. He was quite adamant on seeing you and your wife for dinner. I told him it wouldn’t be necessary, and punched him. I tied him up with his own scarf. I’m sure he’ll get out and make his way to your lovely home where Bedelia is dead,” Will said, arms now folded over his chest, giving Hannibal a knowing look through long lashes.

"Quite the poetic resolution, and fitting for someone who composes verse as Mister Dimmond does," Hannibal chuckled, looking over at Will before turning right down a long stretch of highway. The doctor was most amused by the confession and only wished that he could see the look on Anthony’s face. "I met him France."

“I know,” Will said, keeping a very cool facade about the whole thing, though honestly, it had boiled him from within, almost causing him to ruin his own plans with how heated he’d become to find out that Anthony Dimmond looked as though he could be a cousin of his own.

Hannibal arched a barely there brow curiously, thinking better than to ask for now since Will had already stated he'd explain things later. "Ah, I see," he said simply, though not out of annoyance. "Be that as it may, you left an impression. You have my admiration, just as you do with how you handled Bedelia."

“Bedelia needed a stern hand, and always has,” Will stated, looking at Hannibal. “Dimmond was merely a pawn in a play you had not yet written. It’s unfortunate he’ll be dealt a bad card, but at least it’s not death or dinner.”

It took all of Hannibal's control not to pull over and kiss Will hard for that, but they'd not gone there, yet, and he wasn't sure if they would. Either way, he felt a staggering sense of pride and wonder. "Indeed," he hummed, dust kicking up along side the tires as the road turned from asphalt to dirt. "And once again you speak as though you've read the script first hand. Worry not, I am well aware of your reluctance to speak on the matter just yet."

“It’s something I want to explain, but I can’t. It’s almost too fantastical,” Will whispered, calmly, and watched the night sky and the lights dotting the road. “Trust that I know what I’m talking about. What I’ve done and what I’ve said, all my actions are for the better… for both of us.”

Hannibal reached out his hand and touched Will's just once and briefly. "I trust you, Will," he promised, feeling the difference. "We have nothing but time from here on out. Explain if and wish you choose."

“When we’re… passed enough away,” Will replied, decidedly. He wanted space between them and the new outcome of a life he’d already lived once.

"Fair enough," Hannibal agreed, turning onto an abandoned landing strip. He'd texted his contact before going into the bathroom earlier to shave Will and there was a pilot ready. "We're here."

Will got out and helped Hannibal with his baggage. “You’re sure no one knows you’re affiliated with this plane?”

"I'm certain, Michael," Hannibal explained, offering a smile as he took his luggage and closed the trunk.

Will said nothing else as they made their way to the private plane and climbed the stairs up, and into the cabin. “It’s nice,” he said, under his breath, setting Hannibal’s luggage into an overhead bin.

"Thank you, Will, and yes, I thought it would be nice to be comfortable during our trip," Hannibal hummed, taking a seat in the plush leather chair. He gestured to the one next to him for Will to sit down. "Would you like some wine or whiskey?"

“Either one,” Will said, wanting to keep his head and wits about him. He took a seat, hands folded in his lap.

Hannibal rose from his seat while the pilot readied the plane and got Will a whiskey, wine for himself. Just a glass to relax a bit. He returned and handed it over, sitting back down. "We've fifteen hours or so ahead of us."

“That’s a long time,” Will said and removed his coat and then took the glass, seating himself once again.


	2. Chapter 2

Not another word was said until they were a few hours in and Will finally brought himself from his thoughts, head out of the clouds so to speak. He turned to Hannibal, watching him closely, trying to figure the best way to approach the topic at hand.

“You’ve talked of other worlds, other dimensions before, there being them, but do you believe in second chances? In time actually reversing?”

"According to Einstein's theory of relativity, yes, it is possible though it is said that going forward is easier than going back," Hannibal said, looking over at Will curiously. "I have often tried to think of ways in which I could reverse time and definitely believe in second chances. Why do you ask?"

“Time did reverse. For me. Or, _you_ reversed it for me, to go back, and do it again right,” Will explained, looking at Hannibal seriously. “I was brought back again from three years in the future.”

Hannibal blinked, owlishly, but not with doubt, more to absorb the knowledge he'd been presented. It was no happenstance that he had been working on that very thing, writing notes in his moleskine for ways he might turn back the hands of time. It was well within the realm of possibility that he, later, had somehow figured out the correct mathematical formula. "I believe you, Will," he began, looking just as seriously at Will, body angled. "Where were we or in what situation do-did we find ourselves, in this alternate, future version of us? I can only assume something went terribly awry..."

“Falling over the edge of a cliff into the rolling Atlantic,” Will said, leaning closer to whisper the words, just in case. “We’d just slayed the Great Red Dragon together.”

"I assume the Dragon bit is metaphorical," Hannibal smiled, briefly and then nodded. "Our victory was short lived, taken away by gravity only to be given back by science."

“He called himself that,” Will replied, “we sustained injuries that we couldn’t possibly live through, and I think you knew in fighting The Dragon, we might not make it. Somehow you… you did it. You sent me back.”

"The teacup truly did come back together then and in a way I had only fathomed," Hannibal stated, still processing but very grateful. It explained why Will knew things that he couldn't have otherwise have known. There was still much to know but there was time for that--now that they had a second chance. "And importantly, you _wanted_ to come back, to do things over...to run with me after all."

Even if Will hadn’t, he had been shoved into past, but luckily his need to be with Hannibal was high and strong, and knowing all he did only aided him in gaining it all back. “I messed up once before, and continued to, I wouldn’t and couldn’t do that again.”

"You asked me earlier if I harbored hard feelings towards you, and while you being here mostly answers that, I must ask in turn, do you forgive me, Will?" Hannibal asked, referring to cutting Abigail's throat as well as the other things he'd done.

“I forgave you a long time ago, I had three years to think on it,” Will explained, rubbing his right hand over his own thigh, the weight of his wedding ring long since gone and no longer a worry.

Hannibal licked his lips contemplatively, watching Will's hand move. He'd left his own wedding ring on the dresser near Bedelia's body. "I'm pleased to hear it," he finally said, clasping his own hands together. "You mentioned the Atlantic, what brings, or brought, me back from Florence? Did you escort me to Uncle Jack or was it Mason?"

“I had come to forgive you, after contemplating everything about you, learning what I could. But Jack, Mason… they had other plans. We were taken by people paid off by Mason back to the States. He wanted to eat you piece by piece, and he wanted to do it wearing my face,” Will explained, nonchalantly.

"Ah, yes, I've seen Mason's little website. I called the number once, just for fun and from a discreet location," Hannibal said, amusement tinging his tone as his eyes crinkled. He hadn't anticipated Mason actually being capable enough to procure them both. "Nonetheless, it sounds as though he did not succeed in his mission, in your past nor will he now."

“No. Ultimately, you saved us both, with help, from what Alana had told me shortly after,” Will said, canting his head toward Hannibal.

"Alana, and how is she?" Hannibal asked, thinking of how he'd given her a chance, but she'd chosen to be brave. Obviously she survived what had happened in Baltimore. "Made a promise to her, one I would like to keep."

“She’ll marry Margot and have a son,” Will said, knowingly. “I’d leave that one be.”

"Margot? Good to know she will finally gets the heir she wanted so desperately," Hannibal stated, watching Will's face. "Very well. I am in your hands, or the hands of yours and my future self."

Will left out all the awful details, the head cutting, the bullet in his shoulder, being thrown from a train by Chiyoh. None of it happened this time, none of that mattered. Neither did Will getting married. “We’re starting the life I promised you to begin with.”

"Then that is all that is important to me, Will," Hannibal said softly, as the plane hit a bit of turbulence, which was announced over the speaker, the pilot stating that there was no cause for alarm. He assumed there were more little tidbits not being told and that was just fine. "I hope you find our new home to be to your liking. It is right off a private beach, a study, two baths, three bedrooms..."

“I’ll be with you this time. I’ll be happy,” Will commented, nodding his head slowly.

The place had been acquired with Abigail in mind, originally, and one room for additionally for both he and Will, though he didn't go into that. "I want you to be happy, Will," Hannibal admitted, his eyes gleaming with affection. "And will see to it that you are nothing less than that."

Will reached a tentative hand to Hannibal’s thigh and rested it there, just over his knee. “I know. I want that for both of us.”

Hannibal basked in the warmth of Will's hand for a beat and then placed his own atop his, his thumb lightly caressing there. He gazed at the empath, his heart racing faster just from the touch, just as it had in the bathroom earlier. "Good."

It was all still very new to Will, and in such, he kept very still. “Yeah...” Will licked his lower lip, watching Hannibal’s eyes the way they always had-- intimately.

Hannibal was ready to remove his hand until he saw the sweep of Will's tongue and met those sea-blues. He stopped rubbing but kept it still as well, just letting their body heat mingle. "I presume we'll be adding a dog or two to our household? I do not mind, if you were concerned."

“Maybe. I’m leaving all mine behind, they’re with a sitter now, I’m sure she won’t mind keeping them,” Will said, a little sadly, but he was making sacrifices for this, for them.

"We can work it out later, if you'd like," Hannibal offered, giving Will's hand a little squeeze. He hadn't meant to make him sad, and quickly worked to make amends in hopes of not totally sullying the moment. "I merely wanted you to know that this is your home too."

“I know. I’m… giving up a lot to be with you, but I’ve been without you for three years,” Will mused, looking at their hands. It was peaceful, yes, but all too polite.

"You are, and I’m grateful, but I cannot help but wonder, why three years, Will?" Hannibal asked, his tone gentle as he listened and looked between Will's eyes and their hands. He certainly wanted more but he didn't want to push either, not in this capacity.

Will looked away, slowly, out the window to his right. “You were… locked up, and I didn’t visit. You turned yourself in.”

"There is only one reason I can see why I might turn myself in," Hannibal mused, watching Will's averted gaze. "You rejected me then, I assume, but that hardly matters now given where we are and are heading."

Will nodded, his gaze distant. “I thought it would fix everything wrong in my head, everything I was convinced you did to me. It was your fault and rejecting you and letting you be locked up would free me.” He turned back to Hannibal. “But I only buried it.”

"And then when you finally did come to get the old scent again, it breathed life in what you thought was dead and gone," Hannibal surmised, his eyes narrowed contemplatively as he thought over the possibilities. "Did you try to fix yourself in other ways, during the three years spent pretending?"

“I met a plain, ordinary, dog loving woman,” Will whispered, swallowing once, and then looked at Hannibal. “Things were simple. Good.”

Hannibal felt himself bristle at the notion, knowing it was a tad silly since in this world, that had not yet come to pass nor would it, but in Will's it very much had. "Things were good and yet here you are, with me, then and now."

“Things couldn’t go back to being… normal. I was never going to have that again,” Will said, their hands still entwined, refusing to unmeld. “I could have gone back and found her sooner, but I didn’t. I came here for you.”

Smiling at that, Hannibal took Will's hand to his mouth and inhaled his scent, kissing once before placing them back where they'd been. "That you did, and I am glad, William," he confessed, all but whispering out the words. “Normalcy is not suited for people such as we.”

“Maddeningly polite, I think you called it,” Will said, brows raised, but then settled evenly, watching Hannibal closely. Will had never thought his life would be this, but he'd never thought time travel were possible either.

 

“Yes…” Hannibal agreed, licking his lips as he let the thought and words wash over him. This all felt like a dream of sorts, and he worried just briefly that he might wake up in a prison cell or next to Bedelia. He squeezed Will’s hand for silent reassurance--validation that this was very real. “And when I said that, what did you say in response Will or what did you feel? Agreement?”

“I didn't want to believe you, I didn't want to go back to our madness. But, I knew we shared more than just a friendship, than family. Once Bedelia told me you were in love with me, I knew there was only means to an end,” Will said with a sigh, looking at their hands. “The dragon. Had to be caught and you out of prison.” It was much more complicated than that of course, as Will felt an array of emotions that day.

He _knew_. Naturally, Hannibal had known nearly from the first moment he'd seen Will that he loved him but now Will knew, undeniably. At that, the cannibal felt a staggering sense of relief prick his skin and yet it had been said so nonchalantly. Did he _ache_ for him as well? Clearly at least to some degree, the empath had travelled through time to be with him. The only thing the doctor could say on the subject, with a cant of his head and turn of his elegant face was, "I am, yes, William."

Will gazed at Hannibal for a long moment, maybe too many, but he stared and pondered, wondered even, what it would be like to kiss another man, when he’d never so much as even desired that sort of thing until Hannibal entered his life. “I’ve been blind to it. For years.”

"We are often blind to things which we are not ready to see," Hannibal explained, still looking into Will's eyes as the plane smoothed out from the turbulence. "But you're ready now? Your eyes are open and alert?"

“I am more aware, yes,” Will said with a swallow. “Though I ask you to be patient with me.”

"I have loved you for all this time, shorter in my world than perhaps the one in which you've come from, but I have been patient and shall continue to be so," Hannibal promised with a smile and moved his hand as a show that he intended on keeping his word. He would not touch Will again until he decided he was ready, no matter how badly he wanted to.

Will snatched Hannibal’s hand back, having not meant that one bit, not to stop. “ _This_ is fine.”

Hannibal laced their fingers together with a polite nod, though it was clear by the twist of his lips and twinkle in his eye that he was very much glad. "Good, Will."

“Is it?” Will asked, teasingly, a small smile on his lips as he swallowed once more and leaned into Hannibal a little bit. He was giving up everything for this, for a change he always wondered about, for love he didn’t understand.

"Quite good, in fact," Hannibal murmured, his breath hitching at the proximity. He bit down on his own plush lower lip to keep himself from growling lustfully. So much need burned inside him, like the fires of hell themselves were dancing around his organs to match the beating of his heart.

Will pushed the arm of the seat up, inching closer to Hannibal, thigh to thigh, shoulder to shoulder. It felt as though he could hear Hannibal’s very pulse, the beat of his heart, slowly drowning in his ribs, fluttering to be set free. And damn if Will didn’t feel it, too. He leaned his head back, gazing sidelong at Hannibal throat exposed, eyes all but aflutter. “Kiss me, Hannibal,” he demanded with quiet authority.

Hannibal didn't hesitate, couldn't even if he tried, not that he would. He'd been given access to his own personal Eden, which he stepped into to bask in the light as it shone down on the forbidden fruit--Will. He leaned in, wetting his lips as he cupped the smooth, sharp jawline before him and pressed softly against his beloved's with a low rumbling hum.

Parting his lips to slot their mouths together, Will’s eyes closed as an electric thrill shot down his spine, nerves raw and exposed in ways he never knew they could be. It was if time stopped, standing still in the moment as he over thought every single thing that came to mind, and finally just shut everything off and kissed Hannibal back, a little deeper, tasting him.

In Hannibal's vast palace, harmonious music resounded, all prior dissonance dissipated as his tongue peeked out and slithered inside seeking more of the warm, inviting cavern of Will's mouth. He inhaled sharply, nostrils flaring, chest heaving and pressing when he angled the whole of his torso to connect further.

Not knowing where to put his hands, Will finally settled with one on Hannibal’s chest, fingers grasping hard, and the other slithering up his hip as his own body went to match Hannibal’s, mirroring him easily, from lips to knees, their feet tangling together on the floor much like their tongues as the air heated around them.

The skilled surgeon's fingers of Hannibal's other hand curved around the back of Will's neck, into the thick nest of soft curls as he groaned. He canted his head a tick to the side, opening his mouth wider to dive in more passionately.

Will groaned, but pulled back a bit, trying to catch his breath a little, but kept their faces close, eyes hooded as they gazed at Hannibal. “I could get used to that…”

Hannibal licked his lips as he panted quietly, his skin hot and pants uncomfortably tight. He smiled, charmingly, staring at Will with lust blown pupils and nodded. "Likewise," he murmured, thumbing over his companion's pulse. "We have nothing but time for us to become acclimated to the broadened boundaries we shall now share together, Will."

Slow and easy, though Will couldn’t stop himself from leaning in for another kiss, to taste those well licked lips, bruising them almost punishingly as he nipped at them, temptingly. “Nothing but time on our side now.”

Strong, veiny hands grasped Will's face as Hannibal bit back at his lips, a growl slipping out low and free now before he pulled back enough to respond. "Time that can be spent in any manner that we--you-- choose."

“I want to get to know you better, intimately, beyond the borders of our minds,” Will answered, quietly, against Hannibal lips as their noses brushed.

"I will answer everything you wish to know," Hannibal murmured, closing his eyes for a beat to take in what had and was actually happening. He opened them back and smiled. "I too wish to know you even more than I feel I already do, William."

“In turn, I’ll answer anything, I’ll be… honest, completely, thoroughly,” Will promised, his hand resting against Hannibal’s thigh, fingers curling around the muscle there.

"Honest reciprocity or quid pro quo," Hannibal hummed and moved forward to kiss Will's lips once more as his fingers toyed with the curls at the nape of Will's neck.

“Yes…” Will whispered as their lips met and blended together perfectly, tongues delving in deep, hands and fingers searching for purchase on each other without ever bending the line, still so new to this.

"William..." Hannibal whispered back, moaning softly just from the spark of their kiss as he wound his tongue around Will's. He wanted to devour him whole, consumed every sound and taste, bathe in his scent, but he would wait gladly. This was more than enough for now.

Will patted down Hannibal’s chest, over the leathers he wore, and then unzipped the jacket, feeling out every inch of skin from his neck to the V of his shirt. He’d never felt Hannibal like this before, and the it was exhilarating, spiking his pulse anew.

Hannibal watched as the expanse of his upper half was explored, each place touched like a searing hot coal of pleasure against his body. He grinned, a seductive and faint twist as amber eyes darkened with approval. In turn he ran his hand lightly over Will's clothed chest, rubbing muscle over the fine shirt he'd let him borrow.

Exploring Hannibal was far different than exploring himself or a woman. Hannibal was strong, but smooth skinned where he took careful attention to himself, and hairy just at the dip of his shirt, then more as Will undid the buttons, seeing more skin than he ever had from the doctor. “I feel it’s almost unfair how little of you I’ve seen and how much of you’ve seen…” Though, Will forgot, Hannibal hadn’t this time around, taken care of him, twice.

"That is a problem that can be easily resolved," Hannibal groaned just from the the bit of contact he'd received thus far. His skin was humming, heart thudding so hard it felt as though it might burst through his chest. "And it appears as though it is well on it way now."

Once Will started, he couldn’t stop. He pushed off Hannibal’s jacket to the ground and undid another two buttons. A cascade of hair speckled over Hannibal’s chest, where Will ran his fingers over and through it, pads touching skin as he roved his hands up toward Hannibal’s neck all over again. “You’re always so buttoned up when I see you…”

"Have you often fantasized about how it might be to mess me up?" Hannibal rasped as his chest rose and fell faster. He placed his hand over Will's trailing it up and down briefly to show just how much he was enjoying being touched in such a way. It felt holy and yet sinfully decadent. "Do you wish to see me come undone?"

“I wish to see you without your person suit,” Will said, remembering the way Hannibal’s sweater clung to him, bloody, red all over, and never more appealing. “I want to see and know the real you, not what you show everyone else. Not just pieces.”

"And so you shall," Hannibal said, his voice deep and rumbling as he worked the first couple of buttons down of his shirt. He let his fingers slip under the fabric and then up around Will's throat, resting there. "Will you show me your beast, Will? Our demons can dance together. "

“When the time comes.” Will swallowed hard at the touch, head canted just so to expose his neck, and then he moved, crawling over Hannibal to straddle his thick thighs. A few more buttons and Hannibal’s shirt was undone, exposing his chest and stomach, to which Will let his fingers trail down softly.

Hannibal moved his hands down Will's sides, to his hips where he grasped and leaned in to lick over the pulse of his neck. His cock was hard beneath the warmth of the two plush cheeks atop it and he pressed up _just so_. "When the time comes," he echoed, breathing up to full red lips, "it will be _radiant_."

“Perfectly,” Will groaned, hands back to Hannibal’s shoulders, his hips rolled just perfectly to feel the bulge of erection against his ass.

Growling, Hannibal dove back into Will's mouth, meeting each roll of his hips with a gentle grinding thrust of his own. It took all his control not to unleash on him then and there. "Yes, Will..." he rasped, hands going to knead his ass. "Just as you are."

Will grasped Hannibal’s face with both hands, kissing him with ravaging plunder, gasping moans between heated breaths. “Hannibal-” was all he managed, friction spread a coiling heat that pent up in his belly quickly.

Canting his head up, Hannibal grunted, biting savagely into Will's mouth until he drew blood, lapping it up. He felt his release swirl in his groin, threatening to burst like a geyser without his cock ever having been freed. "Will, Will-"

Clawing down Hannibal’s neck, Will bit his name from Hannibal’s lips, moaning as his own cock rubbed against his pants, dry humping each other like teenagers desperate for touch and contact. “Come… come undone, Hannibal…”

In one swift movement, Hannibal pressed Will back against the seat, onto his back, long legs pressing out over their joined sitting area. The doctor rolled his hips aggressively into his beloved's ass, grinding their clothed cocks together as he bit down onto the muscle of the other's neck. Popping skin, he howled as he came hard, spilling in his fine trousers. “William…”

Grasping the back of Hannibal’s neck, Will panted hard, the aggression all but relieving to feel, to see Hannibal at his primal impasse. Will’s eyes half closed, lidded as he he gripped Hannibal’s tighter and came, staining and dirtying his only pair of trousers. “Fuckin’-”

Catching his breath and rocking slowly, Hannibal kissed the profanity from Will's lips, stroking his hair as he grinned. "I share the sentiment," he murmured, gazing down with nothing but unabashed eros. "Purely divine..."

It wasn’t what Will thought they’d do their first twenty-four hours together, but he didn’t mind in the least. He found bliss in the feeling, in getting that satisfaction he’d been waiting months for, to know that he was able to be so aroused by Hannibal. “Agreed.”

Reluctantly, Hannibal moved off of Will, sitting correctly in his seat and offering his hand. He hadn't anticipated that either--none of it--but he felt equally euphoric, if not more so, over what had occurred between them. "It would seem as we messed each other up after all."

“At least you have a change of clothes,” Will said with a cant of his head. He left all his things in tiny loft in Italy.

"I do, and you may borrow a pair of my own, if you wish," Hannibal offered, looking over at Will with a smile. "Better too loose than dirty, I would imagine."

“Very true,” Will said, standing, never letting go of Hannibal’s hand, though the stain in his pants seeped through slowly, wetting his front side.

Standing beside Will, Hannibal pulled down their bag with his free hand and gestured towards the bathroom. It was larger than most on planes, but he still wouldn't presume that he'd be welcomed inside. "Would you like to change first?"

Will entered first and then tugged Hannibal in. “I would hate to wear something you wanted to wear.”

"That would be a pity," Hannibal responded and closed the door behind them. He set the bag on the counter, flaring his nostrils to take in the scent of their mutual spend once more while he could and pulled out a pair grey trousers for Will, black for himself. The leather pants he'd worn would need to be cleaned thoroughly but that was of no matter. "Try these, if it suits you."

Will nodded, toeing off his shoes and then undid his pants, taking them and his boxers off with a upward casted look toward Hannibal as he did. “Thank you.”

"You're welcome," Hannibal said, his tone a bit more gravely as he handed the trousers over. He licked his lips once and then removed his own, after his shoes, peeling the leather along with his underwear off.

Will folded his soiled pants and put them on the small counter and then turned the water on to clean himself up a bit before putting the trousers on. “Leather was not your best choice.”

"Perhaps not, however I did not anticipate the events that have just come to pass," Hannibal chuckled, doing the same with his pants before he started cleaning himself up. "It was worth it in any case."

Will bit his lip as he watched Hannibal, reaching for a few towels to wet and then boldly wrapped his hand around Hannibal’s cock, cleaning him thoroughly. “It was.”

It was sudden enough that Hannibal had to grip the counter for leverage, his eyes darkened immediately with pleasurable consent. "Yes," he managed, the word beginning with a grunt and ending with a swallow as he looked down to watch for a moment before looking back into Will's eyes. "Undeniably so."

Will cleaned and washed Hannibal’s cock expertly, and just as soon as he started, he finished, and threw the paper towel out. “All clean.”

"Thank you, Will," Hannibal hummed, not having expected more but was grateful for it nonetheless. He pulled on his pants and gathered the soiled clothing in a separate bag, placing that one inside the first. Once he was done he washed his hands and leaned in to kiss Will once. "Shall we?"

A tease was all Will wanted to give, something to look forward to later on. He washed his hands and did up his pants, and followed Hannibal out. “Yes.”

It had worked beautifully, and Hannibal was looking forward to what was to come. He smiled to himself at his little inner pun and walked back to their seats. "Hungry?” he asked, knowing there was food onboard should Will want some. "There is something to eat, I'm certain, if you are."

“I’m starved. I only ate a few bites of what you prepared for Bedelia and Dimmond,” Will said, taking a seat once more, eyes gazing out at the night sky.

"Very well, one moment," Hannibal nodded and then got up once more to go procure something to eat.

He returned a few moments later with two deli turkey sandwiches, handing one over once he’d sat back down. It wasn't what he might normally eat but given the circumstances, it would have to do. "There we are."

“Make them yourself?” Will asked with a slightly snide smirk, and took two bites, devouring. “It’s good.”

"Sadly no, not entirely," Hannibal chuckled, picking up the double meaning there. He took a bite himself, though much more slowly, wiping his mouth afterwards. "It is suitable, if nothing else. Thank you."

“Sustain ourselves,” Will commented, and took another bite, following Hannibal's more slow nature approach this time.

"Precisely," Hannibal hummed, watching Will as they both ate. He sat down the sandwich briefly to wipe his mouth and take a drink of his beverage. "I find myself in quite the excellent humor, Will, we have much to celebrate now."

“That we do,” Will said, humbly, taking another few bites. He hadn't eaten well in months.

Hannibal smiled and then resumed eating, taking bite by bite until it was finished. He leaned back, his hands folded neatly over his stomach as he sighed contentedly. "Some sleep might be a good idea," he suggested, pulling two travel pillows out, "don't you agree?"

“Yes,” Will agreed, eating the last of his sandwich before polishing it off with the water provided. “I’m… exhausted, honestly.”

“Likewise,” Hannibal said and handed Will one of the pillows after he finished with his water. “We’ve a lot to do once we arrive.”

“You can tell me about it when I’m less groggy,” Will said, sated on food, his eyes drooping. In the past he might not trust Hannibal enough to sleep, but after everything, Will had more trust in him than anyone else.

"Yes," Hannibal said, with a covered yawn, and then he spread a blanket over them both, leaning back on his pillow. "Sleep well, William."


	3. Chapter 3

By the time the plane landed, Will was awake and trying to comb down the curls on his head, a light sprinkling of five o’clock shadow dusting his face once more. He yawned as they descended the steps into warmer weather than that of which they left.

As Hannibal had explained, there was, in fact, a car waiting for them at the landing sight and he fished out a set of keys from his bags, popping the trunk. "It is about two hours drive from here," he explained with a somewhat sleepy smile, looking over at Will. "Then we can acclimate ourselves to our new home."

“I hope you know the way,” Will said, getting into the passenger side with a soft thump, jet lagged.

After putting the luggage in the trunk, Hannibal got into the driver's side. "I do indeed," he nodded, and started up the car, putting on his seatbelt before heading down the road. "Some coffee is in order once we arrive."

“Coffee in two hours?” Will asked, not trying to whine, but he was feeling the flight start to catch up with him already.

"Or we could stop on the way home, there is surely a place on the way that would offer coffee," Hannibal suggested, pursing his lips contemplatively. He needed the boost as well. "What do you say, Will?"

“Only if you know of a place,” Will said, not sure where they were exactly, and it honestly didn’t matter either.

"Very well," Hannibal nodded, smiling over once and then turning to the right towards their house. Last time he'd been in the area there had been a little cafe on the way.

A half hour passed in relative silence before Hannibal spotted the place. "Ah, it is here still," he hummed, turning into the little cafe. Once he parked, and killed the engine, he removed his seatbelt, casting his eyes to Will. "Shall we?"

Will raised his brows but slipped out of the car, hands in his pockets, following Hannibal up the little ramp into the homely cafe. The smell of coffee wafted around his senses, making him salivate at the thought.

Hannibal walked with Will over to the counter where a old woman smiled at them both.

"Hola y bienvenidos. ¿Qué puedo conseguir para ustedes dos hoy?" she asked.

"Me gustaría tu café más fuerte por favor," Hannibal answered in perfect spanish. He looked over at Will with an arched brow. "I've ordered the strongest coffee they have, what would you like, Michael?"

“Same, one sugar,” Will said, with a smile, whispering it mostly to Hannibal, looking around the room, guardedly.

With a nod 'Gabriel' gave Will's order and paid. He slipped his hand into his pocket and took a glance at their surroundings as well. There was only two other customers. A handful of minutes later and the woman handed them their coffees. "Gracias," he said and then tipped her before canting his head towards his companion. "Here or to go?"

“To go,” Will said taking his cup and then popped the lid off for a second to let the steam cool out before returning it to its place.

Hannibal had anticipated that of course and was grateful as well. He hummed and grabbed a couple of sugars, with a stirring straw for them both. The doctor walked to the door and held it open for Will. "Good."

Will got back to the car and once unlocked he got in. He buckled in, did up his coffee with a sugar and stirred it. “About an hour and a half more?”

"Yes," Hannibal said, mixing the bit of sugar into his as well, blowing on it before setting it into the cup holder as he did up his seatbelt and started the car. He backed up, and pulled back out onto the road again just as a bit of rain started to pelt the windows. "Rain will do nothing to perk us up, it is good we stopped for coffee after all and just in time."

“The droning of it might have just put us to sleep otherwise,” Will said, blowing on his coffee once before taking a careful sip. He hummed against the rim.

"That it would have," Hannibal laughed, softly, and then picked up his cup, blowing again as well before taking a slow drink. The road turned from asphalt to dirt, little rocks kicking up around the tires. "This is precisely what we needed."

Will enjoyed his coffee as they drove, into the dusk and dust. Some time later and coffee gone, they arrived, slowing up on the path. “This it?”

"Yes," Hannibal answered, putting the car into park and shutting off the engine. He undid his seatbelt and angled his head towards Will. "One of the finest yet most secluded in Viña del Mar."

Will got out, grabbing the bags, and then followed Hannibal to the steps, looking over the nicely built home.

Hannibal unlocked the door and pushed it open, turning off the security. He walked in, shoes clacking on the floor and began removing the dust coverings. "The master bedroom has a beautiful view of the water, as does the dining."

Will set everything down by the door, shucking off his jacket once more, far too warm, and walked the house, to the windows to see. “It’s beautiful.”

“It is, yes,” Hannibal hummed, setting the coverings down to go join Will once he’d removed his jacket and hung it up. “Unfortunately there is not much food at the moment, but enough for the night, until we can go to the market tomorrow.”

“That’s fine,” Will said, hands in his pockets as he watched the waves from their distance. “Did you have this place in mind for us?”

"I did. Primarily you, though I quite like the home and location as well," Hannibal answered honestly, licking his lips as he watched Will looking out towards the sea. "If you would like the master bedroom, you may make use of it."

Will turned his head toward Hannibal, brow raised. “And you?”

“I did not wish to presume,” Hannibal offered, smiling faintly, “I would be more than happy to share the space should you wish. If not, I will take the one across from it.”

“I didn’t come all this way to sleep by myself,” Will said, coyly, reaching out to touch Hannibal’s hip.

“I am relieved to hear that,” Hannibal admitted, grinning wider now as he stepped closer to Will and placed his palm on the side of his companion’s neck.

“I thought the moment we shared would clue you in a little,” Will said, quieter now as he leaned into Hannibal’s touch.

“I’d hoped as much,” Hannibal winked, stroking Will’s pulse as he stared, love-struck into stunning sea-blues. “But again I would never force such intimacy upon you, William.”

“You never have, but I want this,” Will said, leaning into kiss Hannibal softly, having thought about nothing but doing just that since the plane.

Hannibal grasped Will’s jaw with both hands and kissed him back, gently sucking his lower lip into his mouth with a deep hum of satisfaction. “All my life, I have never wanted anything more…”

Will hummed at the contact, holding Hannibal closer by the hips, their mouths slotted together, sharing breath. “Never?”

“Never,” Hannibal echoed in answer, sliding his hands to thread through Will’s soft chocolate tendrils. “You are my exception to many things, Mylimasis.”

“As you are mine. I’m here, after all,” Will whispered, letting their faces rest together. “I look forward to exploring this with you.”

Hannibal felt his heart skip a beat at that, still feeling as though this might be some sort of dream. He swallowed and kissed Will again. “So do I, very much. The world is ours for the taking.”

“For the most part,” Will chimed in, gazing into Hannibal’s in such a way that when they first met he would have never thought to do, to see too much.

"Yes, for the most part," Hannibal agreed, but in his mind, his world was right in front of him, so he already possessed it and was claimed by it, by Will. He smiled, his skin alight, and stroked his cheek, savoring the contact he was granted now.

“What do you plan to do here? Anything set up work wise?” Will asked, head canted.

"My main priority was getting us away from Jack's reaches, of course, however yes, I do intend on procuring some form of employment," Hannibal said, musing over the possibilities. "Perhaps museum curator here. I had intended on doing so in Florence."

“I saw. You don’t think that won’t be where Jack looks if he were to follow us somehow?” Will asked, knowing that Jack knew Hannibal well enough to know his tendencies.

Hannibal sighed, quietly, and nodded, Will was right. He let his hands rest on his beloved's shoulders. "Yes, you are quite right. I suppose laying low for a while would be best."

“Just until they’re off our trail,” Will suggested, leaning into kiss Hannibal on the lips, reassuringly.

"Agreed, Will," Hannibal hummed, licking his lips from the kiss. He was still feeling euphoric, though jet lagged, but truly excited to start their life together. The doctor pulled back and laced his fingers with Will's, gesturing away from the window. "I think a tour is in order, don't you?"

“If you wish,” Will replied, keeping close to Hannibal, never letting their hands part.

"I do," Hannibal smiled, and lead Will out beyond the kitchen and dining, down the large hall to a study. Once he'd done that, he guided them upstairs, showing each room until he got to the master bedroom. "What do you think?"

“Large but not overly,” Will said, complacent. “It’s a little of us both here.”

"Precisely," Hannibal stated, starting to undo his shirt in preparation for bed. "There is a shed out back as well, inside you will find an assortment of fishing gear there for you, likewise the closet is already full of clothing for both of us. It has been for a bit now."

“And you’re sure they’ll fit?” Will asked, undoing his shirt and pants, laying them over another chair. They slept a lot, but a real bed did sound much nicer.

"Providing you have not lost or gained weight, yes," Hannibal chuckled, taking off his trousers and placing them into the hamper. He slipped on his silk pajamas and walked over to turn down the bed in invitation. "They can always be taken in or out."

Will found a drawer with boxers in them and pulled some on and then crawled into bed with Hannibal, waiting for him before curling up along side his body. “They’ll be fine.”

Hannibal wrapped his arm around Will, breathing in his scent as he closed his eyes, relishing the moment. "Indeed...and so shall we," he whispered, gratefully, his other arm extending to shut off the light. "Goodnight, William."

Will smiled a little, watching Hannibal up close in the moonlight, not falling asleep for a good hour as he laid awake. Finally, He did, letting slumber take him.

***

The next morning as the warm, golden sunlight entered in through the tiny cracks of the blinds, Hannibal woke and looked over at Will, smiling to himself as it was his turn to watch him now. It hadn't been a dream and if it was, if all of this was nothing but that, he never wished to wake.

Will was asleep, one hand draped over his stomach, the sheets half off him, one leg off the bed, hips covered by the blanket. His hair was messy, the scar on his stomach still pink with the long heal time it required, but was no longer as noticeable.

Licking his lips, Hannibal felt his heart swell as he ran his hand over the skin of Will's exposed stomach, tracing the scar lightly. He liked seeing it there, knowing he'd marked him in that way, even if a part of him regretted that things had happened as they had. Still, it seemed as though it had all been part of a greater plan--fate and circumstance.

Turning his head, Will’s sleepy eyes opened to gaze at Hannibal under long lashes. “Hey,” he whispered with a groggy smile.

"Hello, and good morning," Hannibal murmured and smiled warmly, eyes crinkling at the corners. He leaned in to kiss Will once before licking his lips to speak again. "Did you sleep well?"

“Well enough,” Will replied, quietly, still waking up a little bit. The bed was cozy, his bedmate even more so.

"Good," the doctor responded, stretching a little. He nuzzled Will once more before sitting up. "I'll get the coffee started, and see what I can make for a decent breakfast."

“I doubt you have eggs here,” Will murmured, and rolled over onto his stomach, his morning stiffness hard against the bed.

Hannibal bit his lower lip at the sight of Will's ass flexing beneath his boxers, his own morning erection prominent. How he wanted to roll on top of him and rutt against his warmth. "No..." he confirmed, though admittedly he was distracted. "No eggs, sadly."

“Then don’t worry about breakfast,” Will insisted, reaching out his hand to pull Hannibal back to bed.

"A glorious idea," Hannibal commented in answer and laid on top of Will, just long enough to let him feel the hard heat of his cock pressing between his cheeks through thin fabric. He kissed the back of the empath's neck, sharp teeth scraping as he ground slowly. "Yes...this is much better."

“It is,” Will said, jutting his ass back against Hannibal’s hips, a low gasping groan leaving his chest as he did. His own cock rolled in against the bed, creating sweet friction.

Hannibal slid his hands up and down his sides, finally stopping to boldly push down Will's boxers. He kept his own on, and continued teasing between his cheeks with his encased cock as he laved over his neck. "You taste better than anything I could prepare, Will. Rich and decadent, ripe for the taking."

Will bit his lip, looking over his shoulder at Hannibal. “Take off your pajamas,” he said, frustrated as he wanted to feel every inch of Hannibal up against him.

That was what Hannibal had wanted, consent, along with covetous desire. He moved back quickly and slipped out of his pajamas, guiding Will to lay onto his back before laying down on top of him to let his lover feel him skin to skin. "Better, hm?"

“Yes,” Will murmured, holding Hannibal over himself, hands all over his body, touching everything, smooth and perfect. He rolled his hips up into Hannibal’s.

Hannibal licked into Will's mouth, grunting as their cocks slid together, precome lubricating each delicious pass. This time was even better than before being totally nude together and in the privacy of their own home. "I only wish to go as far as you are comfortable."

“I’ve never done this before yesterday,” Will murmured, his breaths heated and heavy. “One step at a time.”

Nodding, Hannibal kissed down Will's chest, to his belly, casting maroon eyes up into sea-blues. He would take things as slow as he wanted. "Would you allow me to taste you then? I'm sure you've received that before now."

“Yes,” was Will’s only answer to both topics, and he gently helped guide Hannibal down toward his crotch, cock twitching against his thigh.

Hannibal licked his lips and pressed his nose against Will's groin, smelling him briefly before he ran his tongue from balls to tip with a pleased groan. Just as delicious as he'd imagined if not more. Will dug his fingers into Hannibal’s hair, holding him there as he writhed against the bed with anticipation.

Unable to wait any longer, Hannibal wrapped his hand around the root of Will's shaft and began suckling the angry swollen head of his cock before he finally took him down, expertly with a vibrating hum.

“Hannibal…” Will groaned, eyes rolling back in his head, having thought about this moment for _years_. “That’s... good.”

The doctor popped off to catch his breath, watching every nuance and movement from the striking man above him. "Indeed. Very good," he murmured, eyes half lidded as he drew in a breath and went back down, tongue laving over the sensitive nerves. He rolled Will's balls with his hand, cheeks hollowed, his head bobbing up and down faster.

Will swore under his breath, chest heaving as a pent up ball of lust formed in his core and started to spread to his nether region. His fingers gripped harder, watching Hannibal through long lashes.

Hannibal licked down from the tip, to Will's balls again and below, just barely letting his tongue graze over the pucker there as his hand worked the wet stem of his cock. The doctor was obscenely erect, rutting his hips down into the mattress.

“God, Hannibal…” Will managed, suddenly wanting him to be closer, more intimate, feeling him rut against the bed. “C’mere.”

Licking up Will's cock once more, Hannibal slithered up his body, pressing the full weight of his own atop. He also noted that the Louisiana drawl was more apparent during the throes of passion. Leaning down, he slotted their lips together anew as angular hips ground down slow and passionate. "William..."

Will grasped them both in one fist and worked them over, root to tip, slowly picking up his pace. “Good…” he managed, tasting himself on Hannibal’s tongue.

It took all of Hannibal's composure to not come then and there, feeling Will's hand around them that way as they kissed. He felt heat lick down his spine into his groin, balls tightening. "Mm, yes, very good, Mylimasis."

Will groaned, arching up against Hannibal, starting to slide down the slippery slope, over the edge… “Hannibal-”

Hips bucking faster, Hannibal clutched to Will like a lifeline, his heart pounding like crashing waves against the shore as he neared the precipice of impending release. "Ah, Will-"

“Come on,” Will urged, feeling himself go over the cusp, gasping as he came against his own stomach and palm.

The warm, thick come that spilled between them made it impossible to hold back and Hannibal came seconds after, growling out his pleasure as he kissed each sound from Will's mouth, feeding on them like a starving man.

“Oh…” Will managed between biting kisses, devouring Hannibal’s tongue, working them over until their cocks were spent.

"Mm, yes," Hannibal grinned, over Will's mouth as his hips slowed to a stop. He panted and stroked an errant curl from his lover's eyes, kissing him slow and passionate.

“Now it’s time for breakfast,” Will whispered, grinning, and bringing their spent on his fingers to his mouth to lick them clean, tasting it.

Hannibal raised a brow at that, thoroughly surprised and delighted simultaneously. He leaned in to take a taste from Will's mouth before moving off of him. "I would have to agree. A trip to the market then, as there is little here that will provide the replenishment we now require."

“Let’s get dressed then and go,” Will whispered, none too eager to move, however.

"An excellent proposition," Hannibal agreed, quietly. He didn't really want to leave the bed either, but alas. The doctor leaned over and nuzzled against Will's neck, smiling as he kissed up to his ear. "You first..."

“You’re on me,” Will whispered, eyes closed as they relished the feeling of Hannibal’s weight over him, perfectly situation and warm.

"I suppose the does present a problem," Hannibal chuckled, feeling more playful than usual given his excellent mood and nipped at Will's ear lobe. He reluctantly moved off and looked with a victorious gleam in his eyes as though he'd accomplished something monumental. "A problem now resolved, Mylimasis."

Will rolled off the bed, after Hannibal, and hugged him from behind. “More of this later…” he promised, kissing his shoulder and then went to the closet.

"Much more, I hope," Hannibal winked and followed him to the closet after he'd taken a moment to appreciate Will's backside. “It is rather warm, as I’m sure you’re aware, so something light I think.”

Will pulled out light shorts and shirt, pulling on new boxers, and then his clothes. “Good?”

"Perfect," Hannibal nodded, and then, in keeping with his new look, pulled out a pair of khaki cargo shorts with a bermuda style shirt. It was appalling, but necessary for the time being. He sighed, as he retrieved some boxers. Once he’d put everything on, he looked at himself in the mirror and frowned. "I do believe I am a bit envious of your attire under these circumstances."

“What? Why?” Will looked at the horrible clothes he had to wear, not one to wear shorts...ever.

Will's clothing was far more elegant than what Hannibal had on, at least in his mind. Better than cargo pants and the atrocious shirt he was resigned to wear. "Do not mind me, Will. It is a sacrifice for us both, our new wardrobes," he smiled and leaned in to kiss his cheek, placing his keys into his pocket. "Let's go, shall we?"

Will slipped on the sandals, reluctantly, and took Hannibal’s hand. “Driving or…?”

"The market is not far but given the quantity of items needed, taking the car might be best," Hannibal suggested, lacing his fingers with Will's as he stepped into his sandals with a quiet groan.

Sandals were awful, in Will’s mind, shoes or no shoes was best. He sighed, making their way to the front door, which he held with his free hand. “That’s true.”

Hannibal nodded his thanks to Will and once the door was locked behind him, he chuckled. "We make quite the striking pair in our attire, do we not?" he said with a wink as he unlocked the car. Honestly though, he thought Will looked handsome still. "At least it is not raining."

“I suppose,” Will said, sighing a bit as he got into the car, buckling in. “It'd be a warm rain at least.”

"Indeed," Hannibal said, canting his head at Will once he was inside the car as well. He started it up and once he had buckled up, backed out to head towards the market. "I wonder, Mylimasis, would you ever hunt with me?"

“Hunt?” Will asked, averting his gaze from the road to Hannibal, curious. He hunted, sure, but Hannibal’s idea of hunting…?

"Yes," Hannibal answered, licking his lips as he turned onto the main road. "The way we hunted the dragon and took him down together, in a future I've never experienced."

“You assume we hunted him,” Will pointed out. “It was a convenience.”

"So in this future you did not plan to kill him? Even, perhaps prior to the convenience?" Hannibal asked, wondering how it all transpired. "How was it that he found us, if we did not find him?"

“He wanted to meet you, I set up a way for it to happen, while getting you out of prison,” Will explained, hands on his thighs.

"Hunting," Hannibal reiterated with a warm smile. Cunning boy, his William, he mused as he neared the somewhat busy intersection. "You set the trap, I was the bait."

“The best bait,” Will said, watching everything around them carefully, just in case.

"It was enough to catch you," Hannibal flirted, but kept his eyes vigilant also as he parked and cut off the engine. "Do let me know if there is anything you wish to buy."

“I’m very easy to please in terms of food,” Will said, slipping out of the car, waiting for Hannibal at the front.

Hannibal slid out and armed the car, walking over next to Will. He didn't take his hand, uncertain how the public display might affect him given his social issues--that and this was still new. He nodded and gestured towards the market. "Yes, noted, Mylimasis."

Will took up a basket, pushing it into the store, letting Hannibal lead. Best to look as casual as possible together. “Eggs, bread… cheese?”

It was one of the more modern markets in the city center, a bit more upscale as well as tourists frequented there. Hannibal pursed his lips thoughtfully as they perused the aisles. "Yes, though I would prefer to get meat from an ethical butcher, instead of here," he said, placing the items Will had mentioned into the cart, adding some fresh vegetables and spices as well. "There a couple of items of a non-food variety we might want to consider as well, given the expanded boundaries of our relationship..."

“Lube?” Will asked, nonchalantly, sure that was the extent of what they held here for those sort of things.

"Yes," Hannibal answered, just as nonchalant, though a faint smirk played over his lips. He walked over towards the area that held the lubricant and placed a bottle into the cart. He also added a package of condoms, just to have on hand. "Toiletries are already stocked, as are spirits. I think we can proceed to checkout and head to the butcher."

“I would say so,” Will agreed, only a little flustered at the implications, mostly because he knew people would assume as they bought them.

Hannibal turned to Will before they got to the checkout assessing his reactions. He nearly offered for his partner to wait outside, but didn't. Once he placed the items on the counter, the man at the register cut them a funny look but kept ringing them up. "Putos..." he muttered under his breath as he took Hannibal's money. The doctor's lips curled into a slight snarl at that, his eyes darkening though the other man didn't notice.

"Gracias," the doctor said, and took their bags into his hand, giving Will a look.

“Is everyone here so rude?” Will asked, taking a few of the bags as they left, looking back at the cashier. “Or could we complain to a manager?” He didn’t know a lot of spanish, but he knew enough to know when they were looked down on or being disgusted about.

"As a rule, no and unfortunately talking to the manager would offer no resolution," Hannibal answered as they walked to the car once more. He paused and smiled at Will, popping the trunk. "I do not think he will continue to be a problem, however."

“That sort of problem solving would require we do a little digging,” Will answered, setting the bags in the trunk.

Hannibal set his down as well and closed it up. "I don't mind getting a little dirty for the greater good," he offered and unlocked the car. "Do you?"

“I think you know the answer to that,” Will said, though he was certain they had bigger fish to fry than some young, homophobic cashier.

"Merely making sure," Hannibal commented with a look of mirth as he got inside the car and started it up. Once Will was in, he threw the car into reverse and backed up, pulling out to go to the butcher's. A small fish in a small pond, the rude clerk was, but he thought it might be nice to wet their palettes.

This was their life now-- Will’s life now. He settled into the seat, dwelling on it only for the moment, as he knew there was no use in saying no, not when they’d come this far, after killing Bedelia even. “How?”

"Tomorrow evening we return when the market is set to close, follow him to his home. Chloroform," Hannibal explained, no emotion or remorse in his tone as he turned down another street, happy faces lining the sidewalks. They were ignorant sheep--unaware of the beasts that wove in between then.

“That works,” Will said, quietly, watching the road as he leaned into the door, chin in one upturned hand.

Hannibal nodded and parked once they reached the butcher's, removing the key and undoing his seatbelt. He leaned over and grasped Will's chin, kissing him passionately and sudden. He couldn’t help it really, the way he looked sitting there so perfectly silent and beautiful.

Humming into the kiss, Will touched Hannibal’s arm, squeezing around his bicep, clutching him close. There wasn’t a thing he wouldn’t do with Hannibal now, all he had to do was give Will a reason, a justifiable one at that.

"I love you, Will," Hannibal murmured, knowing that was the first time he'd set it out like that and directly. But he felt it in the power of their kiss and even before that, naturally, but he needed to state it here and now.

Will let out a soft sigh at that, and kissed Hannibal chastely for it. “I love you, too.”

Hannibal's heart seemed to expand at that, his eyes warming to almost pure gold. It was something he'd never dreamed of hearing. He reached up and caressed Will's cheek, showing just how much it meant to him. "Then I am profoundly fortunate."

“We both are,” Will said, knowing it was Hannibal that made it all possible, even if it was a future Hannibal.

Smiling, Hannibal took Will's hand and squeezed it. "Yes, we are," he hummed and kissed him once more before letting go to open the door. "Shall we?"

Will nodded, and opened his own door, getting out of the car, he waited once more for Hannibal before pushed the butcher shop door open for him. “After you.”

With a nod, Hannibal walked inside, and started looking around at the cuts behind the glass counter. "Is there any particular meat you would like for supper?"

“No,” Will said, not picky one way or the other, considering he’d had all types of meat in the past with Hannibal, anything he picked now would only be mellow in comparison.

Hannibal knew of course but wanted to show Will that he saw him as a partner, an equal. "Very well," he said with a smile and began speaking with the butcher to select the meat.

A few minutes later and everything was wrapped, and ready. The doctor paid, and offered Raul a thanks. He walked over to the door, opening it. "Home or explore to the city?"

“We should get the groceries away,” Will said, “we can always come back out.”

"An excellent point," Hannibal agreed and walked with Will to the car to put the meat in the trunk. He got in and started the car. "At least we have food for dinner and the like."

Will nodded his agreement. It didn’t take long before they were home once more and Will got the bags from the back and took them inside, sorting through them, putting everything away where he thought they belonged.

Once finished, Hannibal wrapped his arms around Will's waist, nuzzling his neck affectionately. "You seem pensive, Will. Is there anything on your mind?"

“What isn’t on my mind?” Will asked, arms around Hannibal’s shoulders. “Just.. adjusting.”

"Of course, yes," Hannibal answered, gazing at Will with rapt attention. "It is quite the adjustment. Why don't we get a drink and walk out towards the water?"

“Okay,” Will answered, and kissed Hannibal once on the mouth. “What’s stocked?”

"Brandy, whiskey, and of course there is a wine cellar," Hannibal preened, straightening his shoulders proudly.

“Wine might be best for a stroll,” Will suggested, touching Hannibal’s chest once before finding a few glasses.

"Yes, that is what I had in mind," Hannibal hummed, turning to head to the cellar. "Something light and crisp, perhaps, wouldn't you agree?"

“Yes. You’d know best,” Will said, taking the glasses and following Hannibal downstairs.

Downstairs, Hannibal selected a white-- _Salneval Albariño--_ and pulled it from its holding place. It would prove to be refreshing and not overbearing given the climate. "This, I think, will be nice. It is seductive with honey, pear and tropical fruit, a bit zesty yet round and soft on the tongue."

“Sounds perfect,” Will said, used to drinking crappy store bought cheap bottles that Molly picked out merely to drink without any reason other than to relax.

Hannibal smiled, walking back upstairs to the kitchen to get the wine opener. Once they were there, he opened it, smelling the cork and then poured their wine. "There we are, all set. Come, let's go."

Will took his own glass back in hand and followed Hannibal at out, taking his free hand with his own. The doctor squeezed Will's hand, gently, and lead him down to the sand, the waves crashing quietly on to the shore. It was cooling off just a little.

"It is stunning isn't it," he asked, sipping his wine after a sniff, "the cold rolling Pacific and all its secrets."

“Far different than what we’re used to,” Will commented, tasting the wine and how decidedly cool and refreshing it was against his tongue.

"It reminds me of a place I own, or owned, a home overlooking the Atlantic atop an ever eroding bluff," Hannibal mused. He took another swallow, humming as he stroked the skin of Will's hand that was wrapped with his own. "This is different not only in direction but in land and purpose. In new beginnings we cannot help but think of our past and what lead us here."

“I know the place,” Will said, murmured into his glass.

Hannibal turned to Will and cocked a brow, surprised that he did. "May I ask how or what the circumstances surrounding this knowledge are?"

“It was where we fled when we were luring in The Dragon,” Will explained, quietly, but assured. “Killed him just out on the patio.”

"A rather fitting location," Hannibal said, swirling the contents of his glass gently as he looked at his beloved. "I can picture it in my mind's eye."

“It’s where it all ended, how I got here,” Will explained, wondering just how much would be tolerated of his behavior, but if he knew anything, Hannibal loved him and thought Will could do no wrong.

"A plunge back into time from one ocean to another," Hannibal mused, thinking of how everything had seemed to come full circle. He was merely pleased that they were here now, and that whatever Will had done to get them there, he was grateful.

“Something like that. A good thing we did, not sure we’d have made it with our injuries. I thought I was doing us a favor pushing us over,” Will said, well aware of all he was giving away.

"Better dead than a monster?" Hannibal asked, wondering if it was more than just the injuries that had elicited the poetic end to their being in this future that would never come to be.

“Couldn’t live with you, couldn’t live without you,” Will sighed, shaking his head. “In another world I knew things would be different, but it wasn’t then. It is now.”

Hannibal cupped Will's face, and leaned in, kissing him softly for that. "Indeed it is," he said quietly, his eyes twinkling with emotion at the confession. It hardly mattered what had happened in a world he never knew, what was important was that they were here, united in this one. "Very much so, Will."

Second chances couldn’t be taken lightly, and Will knew they were given to start over, or at least right the wrongs he knew in his gut to be true. “Yeah…”

Letting Will have his time to contemplate, Hannibal walked him over, closer to the ocean, a few birds flying overhead to serenade them with their songs. He slid his arm around his waist as he sipped his wine and looked over the water. "Freeing yourself from me, and me, freeing myself from you, they’re the same. Our destinies are fated and sealed, never to be undone."

“We’re conjoined,” Will said, repeating words Hannibal had never said, but Will had heard it all before. He leaned back a bit into Hannibal, enjoying their closeness, never once regretting taking his second chance.

"Yes," Hannibal hummed, resting his chin on Will's shoulder from behind as he made sure not to spill the wine in his other hand. He'd taken every bit of knowledge imparted to him and without question, trusting the man in front of him fully. Fortunately, thus far it had proven to be to both of their benefit. "Our stars will always be the same, Will."

“Yes, they will.” Will took a long sip of his drink, and sighed thoughtfully. It was blissfully peaceful, and hard to feel as though this was the life he gave up once, having only thought of the moral value of it, and the need to be on the run, and never what being with Hannibal actually would mean. He had it now, and he just hoped it stayed this way.

They finished their wine together on the beach, enjoying one another's company with kisses and embraced until Hannibal finally pried himself away. "Let's go back, hm? I'll start supper once I've showered."

“Good idea,” Will said, seeing as they had not showered at all, and Will couldn’t remember the last time he had, honestly. It’d been days.

With a nod, Hannibal clutched his empty wine glass and began the journey back through the sand to their home. Outside the door, he left his sandals, dusting himself off. "Would you care to join me?"

“Yes,” Will said, decidedly, leaving his sandals as well and then wandered into the house with Hannibal, setting their glasses into the sink and following after his beau.

Hannibal lead Will to the bathroom, clicking on the light. It was a large stand up shower, big enough for a wheelchair if need be and was encased by a frosted glass door, antler designs etched in. He shed his clothing, piece by piece and placed it in the hamper before starting the water. "Another new experience," he grinned, helping Will with the rest of his clothing--an excuse to touch him. "You are more exquisite than the David."

Will allowed Hannibal the comfort of doing so, and then once naked, he tugged the doctor into the shower with him. “Thanks,” he said with a crooked grin, pulling Hannibal into a kiss, sloppy under the heated spray of water.

Breathily, Hannibal smiled over Will's lips, "No, thank you..." He dove back in, blindly reaching for the soap which he rubbed over his lover's strong back as their tongues wound and danced together.

Smiling against Hannibal’s mouth, Will sucked his bottom lip between his teeth, gazing at the other man through wet, long, dark lashes. He never thought he’d ever be doing this with Hannibal Lecter, but here he was, after all this time.

Hannibal was caught in the snare of Will's stare, totally struck and stunned by his beauty and the love they shared all over again. He grinned when he realized it, and kissed him once more before starting to soap up his torso, letting the specially formulated bar linger over the empath's nipples slowly.

The experience was different than anything Will had ever done before, but the intimacy was profound, and for that he knew he’d never find anyone as perfect for him as Hannibal Lecter. He kissed Hannibal harder for the delicate touches, his nipples hard under his fingers.

The doctor backed Will against the wall as the intensity of their kisses burned to a blazing heat. He sat the soap down, rolling his hips into his beau's as he bit down to his neck with a deep resounding growl. "William..."

Groaning, Will grasped on to Hannibal’s shoulders as his head canted to the side, giving him all the access to mar his skin. Every touch and every kiss--every bite-- had Will reeling, like this was some sort of dream, a fantasy.

Hannibal bit down, into the muscle at the same time he grasped Will's cock and began to glide his soapy hand along its length. He tasted copper and sunk his sharp incisors in deep enough that he was certain there would be scarring. Will was his, just as he was Will's.

 

“Marking me?” Will gasped, sliding his hands down Hannibal’s hips, to his groin, taking his cock in hand as he stroked the velvety skin, slowly, making it last.

"Yes," Hannibal said with a swallow, licking over the wound as he rocked his hips languidly, keeping in time. He nipped back to Will's lips, sharing a blood tinged kiss.

Somehow, it was all Will wanted that he never knew he needed. He kissed the taste from Hannibal’s mouth, licking at the coppery liquid and then turned the tables, pushing Hannibal up against the wall, kissing down his neck, bitingly.

 

"Devour me, Will," Hannibal moaned, canting his head to the side how Will had only moments before. Fingers pressed into the slick muscles of his lover's back, sliding up into wet tendrils in encouragement. Such a cunning, ferocious boy, his beau.

Will bit hard, snapping skin under the strength of his jaw, sucking the flavor against his tongue as he laved at it, stroking Hannibal in time with it, as his blood thirst urged him to go faster, harder.

Hannibal tightened his grip on Will's dick, twisting his wrists as he glided from root to tip, relishing the way he was being feasted upon. It was a religious experience, rich and holy; their union consummated with the exchange of blood.

 

Panting against Hannibal’s neck, Will felt the spike of pleasure course through him, hips bucking into Hannibal’s fist as he dragged his own down his beau’s cock. “Hannibal-”

"Will-" Hannibal grunted out, breathing heavily into the other side of Will's neck. He began to jerk him faster, pumping his hips as arousal bloomed under his skin and through his veins with fervent intensity.

Will started to come, gasping, his whole body one big pulse until finally he came, spurting out and over his own stomach and down Hannibal’s knuckles. “Fuck…”

Hannibal came at the same time, splashing out his release over Will's closed fist and onto his belly. He roared like a lion and kissed the profanity from his lover's decadent mouth. "Ah..."

Will kissed Hannibal sloppily, eyes all but closed as he was loose now against him. Catching his breath, he opened his eyes against and looked at Hannibal, gazing into his honey colored eyes.

It was breathtakingly beautiful, the way Will gazed at Hannibal and the doctor committed it to memory as he looked back. A rare moment when he couldn't find words to speak but this was one of those times. Instead, he thumbed over his damp cheek and ran his other hand down his beau's sides. Finally, he regained his thoughts. "I suppose we should get clean now," he smiled, "but that was phenomenal, William, and so are you."

Will laughed, shaking his head. Of course Hannibal would say something like that. He grabbed the shampoo and lathered up his hair. “Thanks.”

"Of course, Hannibal chuckled, finding Will's laugh contagious. As he lathered his hair, the doctor took the opportunity to finish bathing his beau's body, getting every part of him clean.

Will rinsed his hair, all sorts of grime and muck coming out in the water, and then took the soap from Hannibal and started to lather his body with it, any chance to touch. “Two can play this game.”

"Is that so?" Hannibal grinned and worked on his hair as Will bathed him. He did so love the feel of those rough hands on his body. "A game in which we both come out decisively victorious...and clean."

“Clean for dinner,” Wil said coyly, letting their eyes meet once more, a smile spread across his lips. He worked a lather into Hannibal’s chest hair, then down his stomach to his groin, making sure to pay extra special care.

Pupils were still spread across the expanse of Hannibal's iris as he held eye contact with Will, enjoying the privilege. He licked his lips and quirked the corner of his mouth in a flirtatious smile as he nodded, rinsing his hair. "And we mustn't forget dessert."

“Plenty of dessert to go around,” Will whispered as he kissed the smirk off Hannibal’s mouth once, and then let him rinse.

"Many rich and delicious morsels to enjoy," Hannibal winked and then once he rinsed, the doctor spread his hands over Will's body, making sure he was free of soap. With both men clean, he leaned in to peck his love's lips again before shutting off the water and handing over a towel.

Will dried off and then went to find something to wear. “Is dinner formal or shall I find a pair of pajama bottoms to suit?”

"Please be comfortable," Hannibal suggested, preferring to to see Will in such a way. To support his statement, once he was dry and had placed the towels in the hamper, he put on his silk red striped pajamas.

Will did the same, in a pair of blues on, so they matched, saved for the colors. “Very studious of you.”

"I'm pleased you approve," the elegant cannibal smiled, and then stepped into his slippers, walking out of the room once Will was ready too. Back in the kitchen, he tied his apron and began preparing dinner. "Would you like to sous chef? I am going to make lamb with rosemary, peach chutney, new potatoes and baby peas."

“That sounds great. What can I do?” Will asked, hands on the counter. He wasn’t much of a cook, but he wasn’t terrible either.

"Could you wash the potatoes please, and place them into the boiling pot. Last if you wouldn’t mind also rinsing and shelling the peas?" Hannibal suggested, handing Will the tools needed once he'd set out the vegetables.

Will went about it, cleaning and shucking everything, getting the potatoes into the water. He set the peeled peas into a pot to Hannibal left.

By the time Will had finished, Hannibal had the lamb in the oven and was working on the chutney. He paused to tend to the potatoes and peas. "Thank you, Will," he smiled, moving around expertly in the kitchen. "Would you like to select a red to go with our supper?"

“Any requests?” Will asked, washing his hands, and then dried them. “Or shall it be a surprise?”

"I do enjoy the occasional surprise," Hannibal smiled, trusting Will's abilities, none the less, red would do well no matter the blend.

Will smiled at that, and jogged down the steps, bare feet pattering down the steps in quick succession. The vast amount of wine made it near difficult to decide on what to pick, but after a few minutes of deliberation, he picked a Merlot and jogged back up the steps. He set the bottle down and pulled two new glasses from the cupboard.

Hannibal looked over and hummed his approval. "An excellent choice," he said, now just waiting for everything to finish cooking. While Will opened the wine, he touched his back softly, on his way to the dining room to set the table. Once finished, he strode back into the kitchen to enjoy some of the red nectar. "This is quite enjoyable."

“I thought it’d be a good choice for the meat provided,” Will said, taking a sip, letting the taste linger with scent of the meal cooking.

"It is," Hannibal agreed, sniffing the wine before letting the vintage coat his tongue. He swallowed after a moment, utterly delighted. This was blissfully domestic and yet tomorrow evening they would hunt and slaughter together. It was enchanting, every last bit.

Will smiled at that, and took another sip. He was a little worried about the hunt, but knew it would all be worth it, in the end. “I’m starved, how long?” he inquired.

Hannibal walked over to check on the food and then turned to Will. "Just about fifteen more minutes," he answered with a smile, drinking a bit more wine before setting it down. "I am rather famished myself."

“What should we do in the meantime?” Will asked, grinning around his glass. “You mentioned dessert…”

"While I normally do not recommend dessert before supper, I do believe exceptions can be made," Hannibal crooned, stepping closer to Will, extending his hand to touch his waist. "What suits yours palette? Anything you’re craving?"

Will had never flirted so thoroughly in his life, but with the past, the future that now wasn't, in mind he couldn't help way his body responded to Hannibal, his eyes wide open. How did he ever not see it before? Will rested of each hand on Hannibal's chest and leaned in to kiss the corner of his mouth in answer.

Hannibal arched a pleased, coy brow and grasped Will's face, guiding him back against the counter once he'd removed his apron and set it down. He kissed him again, slithering his tongue inside to chase his beau's, tasting his flavor mixed with that of the wine's. It was heavenly. "Will..." he murmured, kissing over to suck on his velvety ear lobe and down to his neck, his fingers dipping inside Will’s pajama pants to grasp his cock. "I too, am craving something..."

Groaning, Will shifted his hips, knowing they hardly had time for a full romp, but everything was still so new and exciting, that he couldn’t help himself. He slipped his hands under Hannibal’s silky pajama top, feeling out his chest, fingers rolling through his chest hair.

The doctor loved how Will explored his body, touching him as if he were a rare commodity. The intimacy was striking and he couldn't be happier. Hannibal thumbed over the damp tip of his lover's cock and used the precome to aid in his downward stroke as he sucked a purple bruise on his beautiful neck. "Mm..."

“Hannibal…” Will whispered, eyes closed as he enjoyed the bruising feel of his lover’s teeth and tongue on him, pinching over Hannibal’s nipples, roughly.

Stroking faster, Hannibal moaned as Will tweaked his nipples in a manner that he loved. "Will," he whispered back, licking up to his lips to plunge back inside as he worked his beau over insistently. "I could partake of you endlessly..."

“If we could survive solely on each other…” Will whispered against Hannibal’s mouth, eyes lidded as he grasped the back of his neck and plunged his tongue in deeper, tasting, while his cock leaked precome against Hannibal’s fingers.

"If only," Hannibal whispered back, nipping at Will's lips when he caught his breath, his own cock hard and trapped against the other's body as he ran his hand along the turgid flesh of his lover's shaft. Picking up the pace, he squeezed just a bit tighter, slapping sounds filling the richly scented kitchen.

Will reached between them to grasp Hannibal, and work him over in time with his own pleasure. “Oh--like that.”

Grunting and with his pajama bottoms sitting lowered beneath his balls, Hannibal matched Will's rhythm, breathing against the hollow of his beau's neck. "Yes, Mylimasis, Mm."

“At this rate we’ll be too spent for dessert afterward,” Will crooned, completely relaxed with Hannibal enough to make such teases and jokes. He worked him over, slowly, and then faster, knowing that soon enough they’d have more than just hand jobs between them.

"This is more than satisfactory for our dessert," Hannibal breathed out, his tone a deep timber as he continued tugging on Will's cock as his own release pooled in his belly with the promise of orgasm. He pressed their brows together, aching to be inside his beloved, but could wait until the moment was right. "I'm close, William..."

Will leaned in close to Hannibal’s ear, biting and sucking the lobe and then whispered, “Good. Next time maybe I’ll let you explore inside of me.”

The words were enough to pull Hannibal right off the proverbial edge. His hips stuttered, muscles clenching as he clutched at Will's flexing bicep and rumbled out a groan. "Yes, Will, ah," he hissed, his hot seed spilling over the hand around his cock as he continued jerking his own around his lover's. "Utterly decadent..."

Will came just after, their combined come mixing together into an altogether delightful musk. Will brought his hand up to taste, licking some of it off his fingers. “We have a lot to explore…”

Hannibal did the same, tasting Will's come with a hum. "Yes, that we do," he agreed, leaning in to share their tastes by way of lips and tongue. "And I am looking forward to every last moment with you."

Will pushed Hannibal off, playfully, and went to wash his hands and wipe himself down at the sink. Enough time was spent preoccupying themselves that dinner smelled almost done. “As am I.”

Chuckling, Hannibal tucked himself back into his pants and washed his hands after Will was finished. He put on his oven mitt and began getting dinner plated. "Good."

“Now I’m starved,” Will said, picking up his wine once more, and setting it at the table, he went to get forks and knives as well.

"Likewise," Hannibal said, as he put the finishing touches on the food's arrangement. He gathered them up and walked over to the table, seeing Will had set it and brought wine over as well. "Thank you, Will."


	4. Chapter 4

The next night, a few hours after another wonderful dinner, Hannibal changed into something less conspicuous-- darker attire--and walked over to Will. He kissed his jaw and hummed. "Are you ready to go, Mylimasis?"

Will was dressed the same, pulling on a pair of gloves. “As I’ll ever be.”

Hannibal put on his gloves and nodded, opting to not use the plastic suit this time as it would attract more attention. He lead Will out to the car.

A few mins later, the doctor parked a block away from where they were going to go and cut off the engine and the lights, he took off his belt and looked over at Will. "Let's go."

“When is he done?” Will asked quietly, as he slipped from the car, and shut the door silently.

“He is currently closing up the store,” Hannibal explained, with a smile, his tone a hushed whisper. “Just about five more minutes and then we will then track him to his home, Mylimasis.”

Will was patient, of course, and tugged at his gloves, rocking from heel to toe a few times as they waited. “What is the plan? I know the basis, but…”

Hannibal pulled a syringe from his pocket and showed Will. "I will inject him with this, it's a paralytic agent, and then we will drag him inside, tie him up and remove what we wish to keep," he explained, very quietly.

“And the rest? Are we looking to call attention to it?” Will asked, brows raised curiously. “We need to keep a low profile, Hannibal.”

Sighing, Hannibal nodded. "I had hoped to display him as a warning for others to heed their thoughtless tongues, however, you are right," he said, looking at his pocket watch. "We will dispose of him then. Come, it is time."

“One display could lead Jack or Mason right to us,” Will offered, quietly, as he followed Hannibal.

"Yes, quite right," Hannibal agreed, wrinkling his nose ever so subtly. He lead Will along a dark path and stopped as the store clerk was exiting to lock up his store.

When the man was done, Hannibal and Will followed him, stealthily, to his home, keeping to the shadows. Looking at his beloved to signal, he touched his arm.

Will remained silent for the time being, nodding at Hannibal as he took a few steps forward, to slow the man down. “Excuse me?” he called, not too loud. “I’m lost, and I could use the help. Directions?”

Hannibal came up behind the man as he started to give Will directions The doctor had looked around first, and when he saw no one was around, plunged the needle into the man's carotid, covering his mouth with a firm hand. A moment later, the man was conscious but limp in front of his home.

“Let’s get him inside, shall we?”

Will searched for a key and unlocked the door.

“After you,” Will said, picking up the man’s feet as they dragged him inside.

Hannibal walked in, helping Will carry the man in and then locked the door behind him once they'd set the man down, who was staring at them with fear stricken eyes. The cannibal looked around and spotted a chair with metal backing near the dining room table. "That will do nicely," he said with a calm smile. "I was thinking his tongue and cheeks should certainly be taken."

“We’d need a table for anything else,” Will said thoughtfully, but knew full well cheeks and tongue were exactly what should be taken from such a creature as the horrible one they were moving about.

"Precisely," Hannibal smiled and then kissed Will, so the man could see and know exactly why this had come to pass--his homophobic comments the other day. As soon as he moved back from the kiss, he turned around, his eyes glinting deadly as he pulled out a scalpel and neared the man. "Will, would you prefer to remove his tongue or the cheeks?"

“I can’t say I’m proficient at either,” Will said, with a cant of his head, “but I’ll do better at the tongue.”

"Thank you," Hannibal said, with a gleam of pride in his eyes. He was simply elated to be sharing in a moment like this again. Hannibal pulled a little plastic bag from his coat pocket and handed it over. "I have the utmost confidence in your abilities, Will."

Will pulled his knife from his pocket with a look at Hannibal. He held the baggy and then the man’s tongue with two gloved fingers, avoiding looking into his eyes that he knew would only be begging for some sympathy, and Will didn’t need that. He pulled on the tongue and started to sever it, slowly, blood gushing out of the man’s mouth and down his chin as he cut. Severed off, he put the tongue into the baggy.

“Your turn.”

Hannibal licked his lips and nodded, walking over to the man, brandishing the scalpel with a twist and flicker of light that reflected off the small blade. He stooped down to breathe over the bleeding thing in the chair and slit his cheek at mouth opening first, sawing up and around to cut out perfect circles. He placed each piece in the bag as tears fell from the man's eyes. It was utterly breathtaking.

"There," the elegant cannibal said, as if nothing had happened at all. A bit of blood had speckled across his skin and he looked positively feral that way. "Ah, one last thing..."

Turning around suddenly, once he'd handed Will the bag, Hannibal plunged the blade deep into the homophobe’s heart with powerful, rib cracking force, twisting it as he snarled and grunted, ending the pig's life once and for all. The doctor then removed it and stood, facing his beau once again. "Now then."

“Now we have to clean up, unless we mean to keep him this way?” Still taking organs was a sign of the Ripper, it might not be wise to leave any sign of him.

"We'll burn him when we get home," Hannibal suggested, knowing it would be easier to do there than here in the small fireplace. "I'll tidy up a bit and leave a note written in his hand so that they think he has gone to the states to chase the American Dream."

“We’re going to drag him home with us?” Will asked, disbelievingly.

"I'll bring the car around," Hannibal answered, pulling out his keys. "Bind him up while I do that and then I'll help put him in the trunk, hm?"

The man was dead now, bleeding out all over the floor. Will said nothing else as he tied him up to be easier to carry and then dragged him toward the door, waiting for Hannibal.

A few minutes passed before Hannibal rolled up and got out of the car, the trunk popping open with a press of the remote. He walked inside and offered Will a smile. "Ready."

It seemed all too easy, but Will didn’t offer his frets over the situation right now, and helped Hannibal load the body into the trunk over a tarp placed down inside of it. “There,” he groaned, getting the man’s foot inside.

"Perfect," Hannibal hummed, and then closed the trunk, getting into the car with Will to head towards home. "Thank you, Will. We will have a wonderful feast."

Once home, they moved the body inside and down to the basement, to dispose of properly, still wrapped in a tarp. “Now what?”

“Now we burn him in the incinerator,” Hannibal answered setting the bag with the tongue and cheeks aside. He started it up and once it was ready lifted it up to place it there.

Once it was taken care of the doctor removed his gloves and leaned in to kiss his beau. “Would you like a drink to celebrate our successful hunt?”

“Yeah, I could really, really use one,” Will said, head canted slightly as he took off his gloves and tossed them into the incinerator too.

Hannibal did the same and shed his shirt, also burning that as he nodded and lead Will upstairs to the bar. He poured himself a bourbon and two fingers of whiskey for his beloved, handing it over. "How do you feel, William?"

Will shrugged, sipping his drink as he toed off his boots at the door. “Not much different. Invigorated maybe.”

After sipping as well, Hannibal smiled, leaning against the bar. He set his drink down and licked his lips. It pleased him to no end that Will showed no signs of remorse, not that he expected any. "Good."

“What will we be making with our new selected cuts?” Will asked, after another mouthful, letting it burn his throat.

"I have a few ideas in mind," Hannibal mused, taking a pull of his bourbon. "Perhaps, given our location, I will make tacos de lengua--tongue."

“Is there enough?” Will asked, with a smile, his mood lightening as the alcohol ease his nerves.

"The cheeks will make up for the shortage," Hannibal offered with a smile and a wink. He was feeling good as well.

“Good point,” Will said, looking out into the night. “So tacos for dinner tomorrow.”

"Yes, I am going to marinate the meat for tomorrow, once we finish our drinks," Hannibal smiled, and hooked his arm around Will's waist, keeping him close. "Would you like to go out onto the patio?"

Will moved to the back door and opened it. He slipped out, into the night, the moon full and fat above them, gleaming down, casting shadows in corners, as Will thought for a moment he saw something move out of the corner of his eye.

Hannibal watched Will for a moment and tracked his gaze, looking over to find nothing. He made no comment and instead cut his eyes upwards to the sky. "It is beautiful," he said with a hum, sipping his drink before setting it on the patio table with a clink.

“Yeah,” Will said, seeing it again, and this time his eyes focused on the shadow as he moved across the deck to see closer into the bushes.

"What are you doing, Will?" Hannibal asked, walking a few steps closer. "There is nothing there, or perhaps it's a cat."

“No there-” Will started to say and then he saw it, the stag, from his mind, his nightmares, his dreams. “Don’t you…” He turned to look at Hannibal and then the thing was gone. “Never mind.”

Hannibal touched Will's shoulders, meeting his gaze as concern washed over his elegant features. "What did you see? You must tell me if you saw something."

“Just tired. Thought I saw the stag…” Will whispered, shaking his head, and then downed his drink. He had never told Hannibal about the stag, he realized.

"The stag?" Hannibal asked, with a curious brow as he likewise finished off his bourbon. He reached his hand out to feel of Will's brow, checking for fever instinctively, though he didn't smell any. "You've seen it before?"

“Years ago...well not that long ago I guess. In dreams, mostly,” Will murmured and looked at Hannibal. “Just tired, as I said.”

"Very well," Hannibal said, though he was going to make a point of observing a bit more than he had been with this new knowledge. "Shall we retire for the night then?"

“Yeah,” Will said, taking his glass inside, setting it in the sink.

Hannibal placed his inside as well, putting the meat in the marinade he'd prepared earlier and closed the fridge. He took Will's hand and lead him to bed. Once inside, he undressed to his boxers and slipped inside the covers. "I love you. I'm sure things will be better in the morning. Goodnight, Mylimasis."

Will relieved himself and then got into bed after dressing down, and curled up next to Hannibal, the lights out, shadows were cast against the wall once more where Will stared. “I love you, Hannibal…”

Hannibal kissed Will's head and closed his eyes, soon falling asleep. He had the love of the man he'd wanted for a long time and knew they could work through anything together. Time was on their side.

***

"Tacos de lengua, for breakfast," Hannibal stated, looking over at Will. The doctor's hair was longer, as was his beard, and he was settling in nicely with the look and feel of the culture. Will found himself staring at Hannibal, eyes narrowed, trying to pick out what exactly was going on.

“For... breakfast?” Will asked, looking at the food.

"Why not?" Hannibal smiled, setting the food down before Will just before he sat down in his usual chair. "I once served breakfast for dinner, so I thought this would be no different."

“Okay,” Will said, looking at the plate of tacos.

Hannibal smiled, and picked up the first one, biting into it with a hum. "I hope you enjoy it."

Will watched as Hannibal ate _first_ and then did the same. It was very good, and he went in for a second and then third bite before chewing. He hummed, wiping at his lips. “It’s very good.”

"It is, yes," Hannibal grinned, taking a few more bites in succession. He sipped his beer and wiped his mouth. "Thank you, Will."

Will looked at the drink in front of himself, a glass of beer, and took a sip to wash down the tacos, as it matched perfectly. “Really out done yourself.”

"I thought you would like it," Hannibal smiled again, even broader this time as he moved onto a second taco. It was still elegantly presented, even for breakfast and what it was but different than he might have made any other time. "I want to see that you are happy, Will, and I thought that we should take full advantage of this new chance to do things correctly."

“Oh?” Will asked, taking a few more bites. He chewed, slowly, the air around them felt different than it did yesterday.

"Yes," Hannibal answered, wiping his mouth again as he swallowed some beer. He reached over to touch his beau's hand, rubbing over the skin. "Do you have doubts, Mylimasis?"

“No, it’s just feels… too good sometimes,” Will admitted, finishing his meal. “But all good things usually do.”

"Happiness is fleeting, never constant," Hannibal offered, finishing his tacos. "We will do what we can to ensure it lasts for a while, hm?"

“Just a while?” Will asked, reaching for his beer once more. “I’m in this for the long haul.”

"I was referring to our luck, as it were," Hannibal explained, finishing his beer. "Not you and I. I too, am in this with you until the very end, William. I love you, and that will not change, however, we will be on the run and with that come risks."

“There’s always risks,” Will said, nodding his head once before helping Hannibal clear the dishes.

"And I am more than willing to take each one with you," Hannibal said, putting the dishes away, into the dishwasher. He grasped Will's cheek once he washed his hands and kissed him hard, pressing him against the counter. "Are you?"

Will hummed into the sensation of being kissed like that, as if being devoured, and groaned as he held Hannibal closer. “Yes.”

"Good," Hannibal murmured, wanting to taste all of Will that he could, eager but still patient for the final consummation. He licked back into his moan, pressing his hard cock against his beloved's groin. The doctor grinned over wet lips and stared at the empath up close. "I am going to ask you to marry me, Will. Not now, but someday. I do hope you'll say yes."

“I have no reason to say no,” Will whispered back, eyes hooded as he gazed up close at the cannibal in front of him, realizing he, too, was now one more than ever.

"Then I should ask soon then, hm?" Hannibal crooned, stroking Will's cheek with one hand as the other slipped into his pants to grasp his cock and stroke slowly.

Will’s chin tilted up as a moan escaped his lips, eyes on Hannibal. “Y-yes,” he managed to say, pulling Hannibal back in for a heated, long kiss.

"Is that yes to the question unasked," Hannibal whispered seductively, kissing down from his lips and along Will's neck, scraping his teeth there. He thumbed over the tip of his beloved's cock, his hips rolling languidly. "Or yes that I should soon?"

“All of it,” Will whispered roughly, working Hannibal’s shirt undone with deft fingers.

Hannibal responded by undoing Will's and then shrugged off his own shirt, letting it fall to the floor. He ran his fingers over his beloved's chest, removing his shirt too. "I want all of it. All of you..."

Will’s vision started to go fuzzy around the edges at that, and his vision burn hot with lust. He stepped out of his pants, naked and all but spread against the counter for Hannibal. “So do I.”

His own pants came off next, both men naked and Hannibal took Will's hand. "Not here, not for the first time," he rasped, tugging his beau hastily towards their room. Once upstairs, he crashed their lips together again, toppling onto the bed with a grunt. "Never have I wanted another, as I want you."

“Me neither,” Will admitted, pulling Hannibal over himself, gazing up at him. He went to kiss Hannibal more languidly, heated with passion and slow, but in a briefest of moments Will saw the Wendigo instead, dark with antlers, staring at him with dead, empty eyes. Will shook his head, shaking the vision off, and when he opened his eyes again, it was just Hannibal there.

Hannibal, unaware, ground their cocks together, wanting to ease Will into this and kissed him back, trailing over to his ear which he took between his teeth. "I am going to feast on you for hours, Will. Bring you to unspeakable pleasures you've never known before."

Flashes here and there were Hannibal and then the creature again, and Will had to close his eyes to stop seeing it, to stop thinking about actually being feasted upon. That’s not what Hannibal meant, not at all. “Fuck…”

The cannibal began licking down Will's body, to his nipples, and then his navel, which he paid extra attention to. He cast his eyes upwards when he finally reached his lover's cock, swallowing it down in one gulp, so to speak, with a deep rumbling hum.

Finally, Will’s attention was only where Hannibal’s mouth was, and there alone. His breathing went ragged, his hands clenched in Hannibal’s longer hair. “There-”

"Mm," Hannibal responded with a groan, and laved his tongue around the shaft. He gathered a bit of saliva and experimentally pressed the pad of his finger over Will's pucker, just to get him used to the sensation but didn't press in.

Will’s thighs spread, his hips arching into the feeling, sensitive nerves there tingling with the tease. He bit his lip, hard enough to bleed, tasting the sweet coppery taste against his tongue. “Oh…”

Hannibal growled at the sight, his hips rutting into the bed with need as he reached over to the nightstand to grab the lubricant to have ready. Before using it though, he popped off and licked down to Will's hole, pressing his legs back towards his chest as he ran his tongue around the rim.

“Oh, fuck…” Will said, not prepared for the intensity of how _great_ it would feel to have Hannibal’s rough padded tongue against him. His jaw dropped, all thoughts of the odd things he’d been seeing leaving his mind completely.

Satisfied with the reaction he got from Will, Hannibal began lapping more eagerly, pressing the tip of his tongue inside just a little as his other hand continued working his beloved's cock. The doctor absolutely loved giving him pleasure, savored every sweet sound that fell from his lips. “Indeed, William…”

“Hannibal-” Will managed, feeling he might come from that alone, but he wanted it all, he wanted _more_.

Hannibal continued for a few more minutes before moving back to slick up his fingers. "You will feel a burn, initially, but just relax and it will give way to pain, Mylimasis," he explained and pressed his slick finger over his beau's hole once more. "Are you ready?"

“Yes,” Will whispered, watching Hannibal, his vision blurring, darkness creeping in through the sides, and suddenly everything was starting to feel surreal.

"I love you, Will. We will soon be one," Hannibal whispered and then took Will's cock back into his mouth as he slipped his finger inside, slowly, past the rings of muscle. He kept his eyes on Will, watching him as he was gazed, as well as to gauge his response.

Everything was starting to blur, everything was coming to head, perfectly, like nothing Will had ever experienced before in his life. He bore down on Hannibal and closed his eyes, taking in every feeling.

Hannibal crooked his finger, turning it to hit the pleasure shaped nub inside Will and hollowed his cheeks. He carefully inserted another finger and hummed. "How does that feel?" he asked, his tone deep and honeyed as he gazed at his beloved with lidded eyes and took his cock back into the warmth of his mouth.

“Amazing,” Will said, wanting to say something more but all words ceased to exist in his mind in that moment.

Sliding his fingers in and out a bit faster when he felt the muscle relax, Hannibal added a third, wanting to work Will open as much as possible so he wouldn't hurt him. He knew his cock was quite sizable. "Good," he whispered, his tone rough from taking him down. "I cannot wait to be inside of you, Will. We will consummate our love. We are each other's destinies..."

“Yes,” Will said, starting to feel himself reaching that edge, right to the cliff, his body ready to be pushed right off… “Hannibal…”

Hannibal pulled his fingers out, slicked up his cock, positioning it at Will's entrance. Their bodies were flush as he kissed him lovingly, and prepared to enter. "Oh William...Will...Will?"

The second Will was breached, white hot heat behind his eyes flashed, and then suddenly he was gasping, choking on something as his hands came up to his mouth to pull whatever it was away from his face. His eyes flew open, the room around him unfamiliar, his eyes scanning everything frantically as he pulled the air tube from his throat, trying not gag.

"Stay calm, Will," Hannibal said in a soothing tone.He touched Will's arm. Delighted that he'd woken up, finally, Hannibal knew he would and that one day he would return to him. "You are safe. We're in a cabin in the woods, you've been here, under my care and have been in a coma for some time now."

Confusion settled in over Will’s brow, creasing it as he looked over Hannibal, just as he seemed to have been during their fight with Dolarhyde, only his hair was a little grown out, and he was scruffy faced, and he carried himself as though he had a wound right in his side.

“I…” Will tried to speak but he had no idea of anything. What the hell happened?

Hannibal poured Will a glass of water from the pitcher and handed it over, wincing just a little at the pain healing in his own body.. "It is normal to be disoriented when waking. Allow yourself time."

“But…” Will took the water to sip, feeling the cool water against the injuring in his cheek. “I had a hell of a dream.”

"What did you dream?" Hannibal asked, a small smile on his face. He was so pleased that Will was awake. While he waited, he looked over his vitals, making sure they were normal, thankfully they were.

“It's not important, right now,” Will said, sitting up a little more. “How did you manage all this?” He motioned to the equipment and house, getting them here. Hannibal had been more injured than Will, or so he thought. The air tube suggest complications, however.

"Chiyoh came to our aid," Hannibal explained, positioning the pillow better behind Will's back and lifting up the bed a bit. "This cabin I've had for sometime. The equipment, again, Chiyoh helped procure. You had swallowed quite a bit of seawater, so much so that you were dead for a couple of minutes, Will. It put you into a coma and you were not breathing of your own accord for quite sometime."

“You brought me back from death?” Will asked, looking at Hannibal, unable to not see the man he’d fallen in love with, though his version was worn and shattered in many ways, but still full of mirth.

"I did," Hannibal said, thinking of how Will had delivered them into the hands of death and yet he'd plucked them from its grasp. He didn't harbor resentments, how could he with the man he was in love with very much awake and speaking with him. "Are you relieved or disappointed by that knowledge, Will?"

“A little of both,” Will admitted, though the dream had been bliss, coming back to this moment after their existential coupling of the minds and spirit was even more invigorating.

Hannibal narrowed his eyes contemplatively, a warm, curious glint present there. "That is entirely understandable, Will. Why don't we get you out of bed, but slowly. A wheelchair for now, until you regain your bearings, but at least you can get a bit of fresh air."

“Is it safe?” Will asked, moving the blanket back, in what looked to be new clothes, pajamas at that. “You… dressed me again.”

"It is," Hannibal smiled, pushing the wheelchair close to the bed before lowering the railing and the height itself. "I did and have, many times. You also required baths and shaves. Let me remove your catheter before you try to move much further, please."

Will knew he should feel somewhat embarrassed here, but considering the dream he’d just lived for months, he found he wasn’t. “That might be useful.”

Hannibal washed his hands and put on a pair of gloves. "Just try to relax, you may feel a pinching sensation but it should otherwise be painless," he instructed, kindly and unsnapped the buttons of Will's pajama pants. He remained clinical, as he held his flaccid penis and gently removed the tubing. Changing gloves again, he unhooked the IV's and leads, leaving his friend untethered to any machine. "There we are. You may adjust yourself now."

“Thanks,” Will said and then adjusted himself. He then reached for Hannibal on instinct to help him into the chair.

“You’re welcome.” The doctor wrapped his arms around Will's torso, their chests brushing and faces close as images of what had come to pass cliffside entered Hannibal's mind. He paused then, just briefly, before pivoting and helping him down into the chair. When he spoke his tone was deeper, breathy. "Are you experiencing any pain, Will?"

“Not much,” Will said, palming down Hannibal’s chest once, over his heart, once he was situated. It was hard not to reach out and kiss him as he had done in his dreams, a part of his mind that manifested his utmost desires.

Hannibal's pulse quickened then, as he stayed leaned over. He instinctively cupped Will's uninjured cheek and swallowed, staring deeply into his eyes. "Good," he murmured, licking his lips. "The rest did your body well. You've healed considerably."

Will was thankful now he hadn’t woken with an erection once the dream he’d been having rushed back to him suddenly. “I must’ve been out a while.” His pupils spread wide and dark.

"Four weeks," Hannibal answered, thumbing over Will's cheek. His eyes trailed from hues to lips and back up again. "I was a bit concerned you might not come back to me or the waking world at all."

“I was caught in a dream where I had a do over, with you. It was… _good_ ,” Will said, decidedly, licking his lips.

"As I once told you, dreams prepare us for waking life," Hannibal smiled, following the sweep of Will's tongue and up to his eyes again. "While I do not know the details, I will state that some dreams can be made reality. We've a chance to start over now and in any capacity that you wish."

“I can’t take back the things I did, or what you did, like the dream, but we can… make the best of where we are now,” Will agreed, with a little smile, that tugged at his cheek scar gently.

"Our scars and memories remind us that the past was real and that we can move forward," Hannibal hummed with a smile, removing his hand to right his posture and take off the brakes on the wheelchair. "Everything that has come to pass has lead us here, together and I can assure you we have all the time in the world now to make things whatever we want them to be."

“I want to … be with you,” Will said, steadily, as Hannibal started to wheel him out, and he grabbed the pair of socks off the bed to pull on to his feet. “I mean, I want this to work for us.”

Hannibal parked the chair under a shady tree, the wind blowing cool and pairing nicely with the warmth of the sun. He walked around once he put on the breaks and stooped down, his face showing awe and surprise all at once. "And now I find myself feeling as though I am very much in a dream," he admitted, his eyes appearing gold as a stray beam of sun cascaded through the leaves and illuminated them. The elegant doctor neared, his hand going into Will's curls. "That is all I want for us, Will."

“It can work,” Will admitted, even if it had been a dream, it would be much smoother than the dream, it had to be, though not without hiccups.

"It can," Hannibal whispered, his chest full of emotions as he gazed at Will. He neared closer, just a test to see how he might respond, though it was closer than even on that eroding bluff. "And it will."

Will’s chest hurt from the proximity, nothing like his dream, as this felt all together invigorating. He reached out his hand, breathing shallow, whether that was from the respirator or just being around Hannibal, he hardly knew.

Hannibal took that as a sign to continue and closed the distance, slotting their lips together gently with a deep yet quiet groan of appreciation for the feeling. It was entirely euphoric and exquisite; he never imagined Will might return his affections in this manner. “Will…”

Breath caught in his throat, Will wrenched his hand around Hannibal’s shirt, pulling him closer, kissing him until he couldn’t breathe at all. Finally he let their lips part, gazing up close at Hannibal. “That and then some.”

Amber eyes were covered by the expanse of Hannibal's pupils as he licked his lips and nodded, nearly rendered unable to speak for a moment. "Yes," he whispered, roughly, "we have many things to look forward to. Our future is ripe with possibilities and entirely ours, conjoined for as long as we both have breath."

“Many things left to explore together,” Will said with a little flush to his cheeks and neck, ears.

Hannibal grinned seductively at that and leaned in to kiss Will again, the experience far too appealing to cease. "I cannot wait to partake of each one with you, William."

Will touched Hannibal’s side, with the wound, gently, kissing him slowly. “We have time now. I’m not going anywhere.”

The doctor wanted to devour Will, then and there, learn every inch of him by taste and feel alone, but he slowed himself, knowing his beloved was right. He twirled their tongues together, languid and deep, closing his eyes to commit the feeling to memory before he opened them again and took a breath. "Yes, that we do and nor am I, Mylimasis."

Will swallowed, once, and kissed Hannibal again. “Forever then.”


End file.
